24.04.2026 17:30
Speaking at the Türkiye Century Strong Investment Center Program, President Erdoğan announced new economic decisions. Erdoğan stated, 'We are enabling our citizens and companies to bring their money, gold, and securities held abroad into Turkey within a certain period with a low tax rate. If individuals living abroad who have not been taxpayers in our country for the last 3 years come, we will not collect tax in Turkey on their foreign-sourced income and earnings for 20 years.'
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the Strong Center Program for Investment in Turkey's Century
Almost everyone, especially our business and economic circles, is trying to follow the atmosphere that changes every other day while also trying to find their way and direction amidst a dense fog of uncertainty. The negative impact of conflicts is deeply felt not only in energy but also in many sectors such as production, trade, tourism, and transportation.
We see this across a wide spectrum, from fuel prices that change several times a week to restrictions reminiscent of coronavirus days. Although the fire's intensity has subsided, neither our region nor the world can be completely sure about the future of tensions. Despite actors like Israel trying to reignite the spark of war, we are cautiously optimistic and following processes together. Inshallah, we will continue our efforts in cooperation with our friendly and brotherly countries until we achieve results.
"OUR COUNTRY IS AN ISLAND OF STABILITY"
Dear friends, it is a fact that neither our region nor the world can return to how it was before. The reflections of the fractures caused by such a major upheaval will become clearer over time. Turkey has successfully managed the biggest security crisis in recent years, confirming and proving once again that it is an island of stability in its region. This war, which is reshaping the global economic order and value chains, has made our country a key pillar of global economic stability. The inadequacy of descriptions that have for years defined Turkey as a bridge between east, west, and north-south has also been seen in this process. It has emerged that our country is not merely a bridge or an energy corridor, but an indispensable base for energy and trade corridors in the region. I emphasize again a truth I have expressed on various occasions before. Turkey is the strongest candidate to become one of the new poles of the world that is changing its skin and evolving towards multipolarity. We see this, and so do our friends, neighbors, and competitors. We are already planning the strategies that will prepare our country for the new era, building its infrastructure, and leaving no gap.
"WE WILL TAKE OUR COUNTRY'S ATTRACTION POWER MUCH FURTHER"
Very dear friends, we are taking legal, administrative, financial, and institutional steps to increase our competitiveness, ensure sustainable high growth, and support international direct investments by strengthening the investment environment. We are determined to make Turkey a global attraction center. With the comprehensive regulation we will soon submit to our Parliament, we will take our country's attraction power much further. As you know, we started the work on our Istanbul Finance Center in 2009, aiming to create a financial sector that is compatible with global markets and capable of exporting services internationally. At the point we have reached, the Istanbul Finance Center is progressing confidently towards the goals we envisioned 17 years ago.
"TAX ADVANTAGE WILL BE EXPANDED"
Now we are taking a new step in this regard. With the regulations we will make, we are expanding the tax advantage provided to institutions operating in the Istanbul Finance Center. We are increasing the current 50% discount rate to 100% for earnings derived from transit trade or intermediary activities for the purchase and sale of goods abroad. Thus, we will not collect corporate tax on earnings from these activities. We are extending this incentive outside the Istanbul Finance Center for the first time. We are exempting 95% of the earnings of those engaged in transit trade activities outside the Istanbul Finance Center from tax.
Another priority is to encourage global companies to move their regional management centers to Turkey. We provide a strong tax advantage for earnings obtained by these companies from managing their overseas operations from Turkey. Thus, for the next 20 years, 100% of earnings obtained within the Istanbul Finance Center and 95% of those obtained outside it can be deducted from corporate earnings. Likewise, we are introducing a wage exemption under certain conditions for qualified employees working in these centers.
Another important step is the execution of large-scale and qualified international direct investment processes from a single center. That is, the 'One-Stop Shop.' With this practice, we are establishing a simplified, fast, and digitally supported investor-friendly structure for investment processes. Officials from relevant institutions and organizations will serve in the 'One-Stop Shop' under the coordination of the Presidency's Investment and Finance Office. Thanks to this structure, all processes from company establishment to work and residence permits, from tax and social security procedures to business setup processes, and from land, incentive, and allocation permits, can be easily followed from a single center. I wish it all the best.
Dear friends, you all know very well the importance we attach to exports. During our governments, we have made countless regulations to support investment, production, employment, and exports. Our main goal is to strongly spread exports throughout our country. Additionally, we are diversifying our markets and products with the motto of high value-added and competitive exports. To this end, we have been applying our general corporate tax rate of 25% with a 5-point discount for exporters and an additional 1-point discount for manufacturers. Now, by taking a more radical step, we are reducing this tax to 9% especially for our manufacturer exporters. For other exporting institutions, we are reducing it to 14%.
Another issue as critical as exports is incentives that bring foreign currency to our country. There are many regulations in our tax laws on this point. Now, we will add new ones, inshallah. For individuals living abroad who have not been taxpayers in our country for the last 3 years, if they come to our country, we will not levy tax in Turkey on their income and earnings sourced abroad for 20 years. We will only tax their domestic income, if any. For these individuals, we will apply the inheritance and transfer tax in Turkey at 1%.
We are also implementing regulations to bring the assets of our citizens and companies held abroad into our economy. In this context, we are enabling cash, gold, and securities held abroad to be brought to Turkey within a certain period with a low tax. I wish all these good luck.
Dear guests, we are working to open the way for our youth, who are the guarantee of our future, in every field and to prepare them for the world of tomorrow in the most qualified way. The world is rapidly moving towards a new production model led by artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. We are proud of the successes our young people have achieved in rising sectors of the new era such as architecture, engineering, and software. We were not taking tax on 80% of the foreign earnings of our entrepreneur taxpayers working in these fields and serving clients abroad.
We are enabling these gains to be fully deducted from the income and corporate tax base. Thus, we encourage our entrepreneurs who have established a company abroad or become partners in an existing foreign company to bring their earnings to our country.
Another strategic step we will take is to transform Turkey into a regional attraction center in the startup and venture capital ecosystem. With the digital company application, we make company establishment and management processes fast and flexible. We make share option incentives for employees more effective and attractive. We simplify convertible debt mechanisms to facilitate access to financing. Additionally, we are building a strong entrepreneurship infrastructure by launching the first phase of the Terminal Istanbul project.
Finally, we are implementing steps to strengthen predictability for large-scale and high-quality investments of strategic importance to our country. We will provide project-based assurance to minimize the impact of tax regulations made in the periods following investment decisions and to define reasonable transition processes. I say may these also be auspicious.
"STUDIES AT THE PARLIAMENTARY LEVEL WILL BEGIN"
Very esteemed friends, hopefully our economic administration will share the details of the legal, administrative, financial, and institutional regulations we have outlined with our business world and investors, and then studies at the parliamentary level will begin rapidly. I want you and all our citizens to know this very well. With God's permission, Turkey's path, horizon, and way are clear. Periodic difficulties and fluctuations due to external conditions can of course occur. It should be considered quite natural that the breezes of storms affecting the global economy also reach us. However, compared to the past, the Turkish economy has, thank God, gained the strength, capacity, and resilience to absorb larger shocks. In the last 23 years, we have come out of global and regional crises with our heads held high. We have successfully overcome many ordeals, including coup attempts. Despite all pessimistic scenarios and smear campaigns, we have grown from an economy of 238 billion dollars to an economy of 1.6 trillion dollars today. Everyone following the global economy and politics sees this very clearly. Just as the world is not the same world, and our region is not the same region, Turkey is no longer the old Turkey. With its economy, defense industry, military capacity, transportation, energy, health infrastructure, human capital, and diplomatic capabilities, there is a very different, very strong Turkey today. Today, there is a reputable, powerful, and strong Turkey that speaks its mind without hesitation and implements its own national policies without seeking permission from anyone. Today, there is the reality of a Turkey whose star is shining ever brighter in its region and in the world. Inshallah, we will become much better in every field. We will reach better places. We will harvest the fruits of our 23 years of labor and 23 years of struggle even more from now on. May God be our helper and supporter, I say. With these thoughts, I wish that the decisions we have announced will be auspicious for our country and nation, and I congratulate those who contributed. I thank each of you for gracing our meeting. Stay well, take care.