Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB Board Member Cengiz Günay informed that the demands and suggestions from the sector regarding the full closure were forwarded to the higher authorities by TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu.

TOBB Deputy Secretary General Cengiz Delibas said that the continuation of the Short Work Allowance, withholding reduction in rents and tax/SSI offsets, which are important for the sector, were monitored by the relevant Institutions.

Council President Alp Önder Özpamukçu gave a brief briefing on the developments since the latest meeting, stressing that they are hopeful of the decision for full closure, and that the summer season can be regained for the sector with the cases projected to decrease after the holiday.

Councilors noted the demands of businesses to arrange a new credit restructuring for bank debts and to postpone payments of SSI premium and tax debt payments, including restructuring installments, continued, adding that extending the VAT rate on restaurants from 8% to 1% ending in June would contribute to the sector by the end of the year.

In addition, it was agreed at the meeting that the businesses closed by the Communique should be exempted from rent payments during the period they are closed, and that the open enterprises should provide rent reductions as much as the decrease in turnover during the related period due to turnover losses.

Referring to the loss of time and cost due to risk-based applications in imports, the Members discussed the difficulties experienced in TAREKS application and evaluated the occurrence of tax fairness and cost uncertainties in imports. Addressing the application and tax differences in imports made by importers by post, industry representatives exchanged views on how to eliminate the unforeseen costs in the application of registration documents.

Councilors, who said that temporary exorbitant freight prices were applied in import taxation due to the pandemic, submitted requests for temporary and short-term freight prices to be charged at FOB price, not CIF price.

At the meeting, which evaluated the additional costs incurred after cash register-POS integration, it was stated that workplace and customer copies should be unique in order to eliminate paper costs.

Aslı Özsür, head of the Import Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Department of the Ministry of Commerce's General Directorate of Imports, who was invited to the meeting regarding the agenda items, and Sanem Yumurtacı, head of the General Directorate of Product Safety and Inspection, answered questions from the Members. It was also decided to meet with ministry officials to discuss the issues with a committee to be established.