The collection of unpaid tax debts is not possible.

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The Minister of Treasury and Finance, Minister Şimşek, recalled that they decided to announce those who have tax debts to the state, stating that those with tax debts exceeding 5 million lira will be announced today on the website of the Revenue Administration.

Şimşek provided information that they would announce the debtors in two lists, stating that the first list would include tax and penalties that have been finalized due to assessments made ex officio, and the second list would share with the public the taxes and penalties that have not been paid despite being overdue.

"THESE ARE EITHER BANKRUPT OR BUSINESSES WITH NO ASSETS"

Şimşek stated that there are 2,464 taxpayers in the "finalized assessments" list and that the total of their finalized taxes and penalties amounts to 53 billion lira, saying, "419 of these taxpayers are real persons, and 2,045 are legal entities. 299 of the taxpayers on the list are active, constituting 12.1% of the total taxpayers. The amount of finalized tax and penalty for these is 6.3 billion lira. The number of taxpayers who have been abandoned is 2,165. The finalized taxes and penalties for these amount to 46.6 billion lira." he said.

Şimşek emphasized that those on this list cannot be directly referred to as "tax debtors," stating that the list includes those who have deficiencies in their tax declarations or have not submitted any declarations at all, or those who have received unjustified tax refunds based on finalized assessments.

Şimşek pointed out that the payment of these finalized assessments does not prevent their announcement, stating, "Therefore, it should not be confused with the other debtor list. Of course, most of the taxpayers on this list are businesses established for purposes such as issuing fake documents and tax evasion, despite having no real activity. Of the 2,464 taxpayers on the list, 1,752 are of this kind. The amount of finalized tax and penalty for these is 42.9 billion lira, which corresponds to 81.1% of the total amount announced. This amount also has no collectability. Because these are either bankrupt or businesses that have no assets even if there is no bankruptcy decision against them. Their owners also have no assets. Such businesses are generally opened in the name of those who have no assets, and after the purpose is achieved, they disappear." he stated.

"FRAUDSTERS WILL BE DETECTED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE"

Şimşek stated that they have made various legal arrangements to combat these types of businesses that provide unjust gains by issuing fake documents, but some of them have been annulled by the Constitutional Court, saying, "A new law has been enacted regarding these, and some of our regulations have been approved. As part of the efforts to combat the informal economy, we are utilizing artificial intelligence to identify these types of taxpayers who evade the law and commit fraud. We have initiated a project with TÜBİTAK Artificial Intelligence Institute to identify taxpayers with a high risk of issuing fake documents and those with a high risk of unjustified refund requests using artificial intelligence technologies. We will now be able to detect businesses established for the purpose of obtaining unjustified refunds from the state and issuing fake documents by analyzing a lot of data with artificial intelligence technologies in a very short time, and we can immediately close their tax obligations. In this way, we will protect both honest taxpayers and the public interest." he evaluated.

"LONG-STANDING DEBTS"

Şimşek provided information that in the second list, an announcement would be made regarding taxes and penalties that have not been paid despite being due as of December 31, 2023, with amounts of 5 million lira and above, stating:

"The number of taxpayers on this list is 36,806. Of these, 7,948 are real persons, and 28,858 are legal entities. 4,807 of these taxpayers are active, constituting 13.1% of the total number of taxpayers. The number of abandoned taxpayers is 31,999. The total of unpaid taxes and penalties for these taxpayers amounts to 914.9 billion lira. The total debt of active taxpayers is 113.8 billion lira, and their share in the total debt is 12.4%. The debt amount of abandoned taxpayers is 801.1 billion lira. Look, among the 36,806 taxpayers we will announce as tax debtors, the debt of 30,696 of them has no collectability. The total of unpaid taxes and penalties that are overdue is 914.9 billion lira, but the amount of receivables that have no collectability is also 812.8 billion lira. 88.8% of these receivables have no possibility of collection. These are long-standing debts."

Şimşek also clarified why these receivables could not be collected, stating, "These taxpayers or their legal representatives have no assets. All legal actions have been taken against them, but the receivables cannot be collected. As long as they are not subject to statute of limitations, they remain in the state's legal records. From time to time, they also cause criticism regarding the collection accrual rates." he stated.

"WORKING DILIGENTLY FOR THE COLLECTION OF TAX RECEIVABLES"

Minister Şimşek stated that they are working diligently on the collection of tax receivables, noting:

"Taxes are the most important source of income for the state. Therefore, timely payment is extremely important. We carry out all enforcement proceedings against those who do not pay their tax debts. We also assist our taxpayers who are well-intentioned but find themselves in a difficult situation in paying their debts through installment plans. There may be taxpayers who work and produce but find themselves in a very difficult situation in paying their debts. For the 113.8 billion lira that has collectability, our tax offices are in contact with all taxpayers and providing the necessary facilities for them to pay their debts."