08.02.2025 22:40
In a live broadcast, Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek stated that the fight against unregistered employment will continue. Minister Şimşek said, "Unregistered employment is one of Turkey's biggest problems. We want to reduce the budget deficit by bringing unregistered businesses into the system. I would like to announce that by 2025, there will be no taxpayer we will not reach out to."
The Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mehmet Şimşek, made statements regarding the economic agenda during a live broadcast on tv100. The message of Minister Şimşek regarding the fight against "informal economy" drew attention.
MINISTER ŞIMŞEK: THERE WILL BE NO TAXPAYER WE HAVEN'T KNOCKED ON THEIR DOOR
Minister Şimşek emphasized that businesses operating informally will be closely monitored. Minister Şimşek stated: "Informality is one of Turkey's biggest problems. This is not just a matter of revenue loss. Instead of increasing tax rates in Turkey, we want to reduce the budget deficit by bringing informal businesses into the formal economy. I want to declare that by 2025, there will be no taxpayer we haven't knocked on their door. The most important feature of this period will be that we will be constantly in the field. We are conducting our inspections without regard to scale.
"WE SEE INFORMALITY IN EVERY SECTOR"
We started this in 2024. We have conducted 1.2 million inspections. We are starting to see results. This year, we want to multiply this. We will close some units in the Ministry of Finance and send our personnel to training courses to use them in the field. We will set up tents, so to speak, at the entrances and exits of all organized industrial zones, markets, and industries. We see informal economy without exception in every sector.
"THERE IS A JEWELER REPORTING A MONTHLY INCOME OF 16 THOUSAND LIRA"
In 2023, for example, a jeweler declared that he earned a monthly income of 16,046 lira. This corresponds to a minimum wage with today's figures. Freelance lawyers declared an average monthly income of 17,805 lira. We found that the average declared income of freelance doctors was 27,376 lira per month.
Last year, the Parliament passed a law that gave us the opportunity to determine revenue. Teams will go to establishments suspected of informality and stay there from morning until evening to determine all revenues. According to the law, we will now go to different establishments on different days and months, 12 times a year, to determine revenues, and then we will notify the business and ask for an explanation. What will be in favor of our taxpayers is that they will correct their revenues before we arrive.