Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Hisarcıklıoğlu said that Tokat brought 6 sheikh-ul islams to the Ottoman Empire and that the Roman emperor Caesar wrote his famous letter “I came, I saw, I counquered,” in Tokat-Zile.

Stating that Tokat has 19 products with geomarker registration certificates and 12 products are waiting in line, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that Niksar Ayvaz water, a 1400-year-old source of healing, is also an important value.

Stating that Tokat Airport has been opened, Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that Tokat will become the shining star of Anatolia with its agriculture and trade volume.

Stating that whoever feeds the world in the future will be the leader of the world, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “There is only one substance in the world that cannot be produced, soil. Therefore, we should never neglect agriculture and animal husbandry and take care of our lands. Tokat also has a high industrial potential. Our 2 Tokat companies took place in the 500 largest industrial organizations.”

Stating that they had previously built an Anatolian high school in Zile as TOBB, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they would build 4 new schools in the center and Erbaa, Niksar and Turhal upon the request of the chambers and stock exchanges.

- “We planned exports of Togg next year as well”

Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that they made the dream of producing a national automobile, which was left unfinished 60 years ago, a reality and continued as follows:

“We are the country that exports the most vehicles to Europe, but we do this not with our own brand, but with other brands. In 2017, at the TOBB General Council, our President said to me, ‘I am looking for a patriot to build Türkiye’s automobile.’ I said, ‘As long as you are with us, we will do it.’ Praise Allah, with the support of our President, we were able to build the factory, which is the dream of the Turkish nation, which is entirely the own property of the Turkish nation, and to drive the car.

We planned to produce 28,000 units for this year, but we received 6 times the demand. This showed the interest and trust of our nation. Thank God, we started to see Togg on the roads of Tokat. We have planned to export Togg next year. Thus, we will carry our flag to the world and we will be proud of this together. It is a source of pride and honor for all of us to have succeeded in this initiative, of which our community is a founding partner.”

- “Inflation accounting must be applied”

Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that he is someone who constantly travels around Anatolia and constantly listens to companies and sectors, and that the contraction in SME loans in particular has a negative impact on the whole country and sectors with a chain effect:

“This needs to be taken care of. Commercial loans should not be cut suddenly and drastically, and loan interest rates should not increase excessively. In particular, our SMEs should be given Credit Guarantee Fund (KGF) collateralized loans with favorable conditions. As you know, KGF is your institution, we vouch for our members. We are already unique in the world with this feature. There is no other chamber and exchange system that vouches for its members.

Another need for reform is related to the tax system. We have a very complex tax system. And we are making it more and more complicated every year. We make life more difficult for millions of taxpayers because of a few bad examples of abuse. And this increases the number of tax disputes. We need to change this approach. Inflation accounting must be implemented. On the public finance side, the fight against the budget deficit should not only focus on tax increases. Serious savings should also be made in public expenditures. We are following many more issues such as these. We personally convey them to our President and relevant ministers. Now we will also convey the problems and demands that you will convey.”

Stating that there are problems but they have the will and the means to overcome them, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We have achieved many improvements by acting in unity and solidarity. Problems cannot be solved by fighting. It is solved with common sense and dialog. When we are united and together, Allah gives grace and abundance. As long as we do not marginalize each other. Let’s not exclude anyone because of their ideas, beliefs and opinions.”

Fatih Gökdere, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tokat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated that they spread the brotherhood between the chambers and exchanges in the province to Anatolia, that they signed a sister chamber protocol with Kayseri Chamber of Commerce, and that Tokat Commodity Exchange is a sister exchange with Samsun Commodity Exchange.

Stating that they are working for a new service building that will meet their needs, Gökdere said, “Although there are direct flights from our new airport to İstanbul, unfortunately we do not have flights to other provinces. We have held a series of meetings with Pegasus Airlines in this sense. Hopefully, we will ensure that direct flights from Tokat to İzmir will start in the coming period.”