The alcoholic beverage industry is under scrutiny! Tax penalties are on the way for dozens of companies.

The Ministry of Treasury and Finance is now conducting simultaneous physical inventory counts at 100 addresses of companies operating in the alcoholic beverage sector across 22 provinces, following its actions in the tobacco sector.

INSPECTION OF THE ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE SECTOR

With the instruction of the Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, the ministry's teams continue their inspections against unregistered activities in the sectors without interruption. After focusing on the tobacco and tobacco products sector, the ministry has now turned its attention to companies manufacturing alcoholic beverages. During the summer months, teams had conducted simultaneous physical counts at 26 addresses of 23 cigarette and rolling paper manufacturers in 8 provinces.

TEAMS HAVE SPRUNG INTO ACTION IN 22 PROVINCES

Teams consisting of approximately 200 tax inspectors from the Tax Audit Board and revenue experts from the Revenue Administration have now initiated simultaneous physical inventory work at 100 addresses of companies manufacturing alcoholic beverages in 22 provinces. The companies whose stocks were counted this year in the tobacco and alcoholic beverage sectors mostly consist of large taxpayers. It has been determined that the total turnover of these companies has a volume of approximately 100 billion lira.

During the inspections, the existence of potential tax losses and evasion regarding excise tax, income and corporate taxes, VAT, and other taxes is being investigated due to reasons such as unregistered buying and selling in the sector, illegal alcohol production, and non-compliance with regulations in inventory valuation processes. Data obtained from the Tobacco and Alcohol Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry was also utilized during the studies. These data were taken into account in identifying risky taxpayers subject to counting.

MINISTER ŞİMŞEK: THOSE IDENTIFIED WILL BE SUBJECT TO TAX AUDIT

In his evaluation regarding the issue, Minister of Treasury and Finance Şimşek stated that field studies continue unabated as part of the fight against unregistered activities, and he noted: "Our field inspections regarding taxpayers engaged in unregistered activities are deepening within the framework of our principle of fairness and efficiency in taxation. Taxpayers identified as a result of the physical inventory count will be subject to tax audit. We are continuing our inspections and field audits for all sectors as planned, leaving no area unchecked."