The eyes are on the Turkish Grand National Assembly: The regulation for the lowest pension salary is becoming law.

19.07.2026 11:20

This week, the Turkish Grand National Assembly will discuss the omnibus bill containing regulations such as increasing the minimum pension to 23,552 TL, transferring cybersecurity authorities, and raising the civil service seniority requirement to 10 years. The omnibus bill, which includes a regulation affecting millions of retirees, is planned to be debated and enacted in the General Assembly.

This week at the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM), a draft omnibus law including a regulation to increase the minimum pension from 20,000 lira to 23,552 lira, affecting approximately 5.1 million retirees, is planned to be discussed and enacted in the General Assembly. While debates continue over whether the framework law regarding the process will be submitted to Parliament before the TBMM recess, talks are expected to continue this week as well.

MILLIONS OF RETIREES AWAIT THIS NEWS

With only days left before the TBMM goes into recess, it is aimed to pass two legislative proposals through the General Assembly. The General Assembly is expected to begin discussions on Tuesday on the Draft Law on Amendments to Certain Laws, prepared as an omnibus proposal. The proposal includes a provision to raise the minimum pension, affecting 5.1 million retirees, from 20,000 TL to 23,552 TL.

WHAT IS IN THE PROPOSAL?

According to the proposal, which includes new regulations in the field of cybersecurity, all strategic powers previously assigned to the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTK) regarding cybersecurity, such as cyber defense, domain name management, internet infrastructure supervision, and detection/analysis of legal communications, will be transferred to the Cybersecurity Directorate. In cases where delay is detrimental, the Cybersecurity Directorate may take precautionary measures upon the request of security institutions or ex officio. These decisions must be implemented by access providers and data centers within a maximum of two hours and submitted to a judge's approval within 24 hours. Platforms and businesses that fail to fulfill their obligations will face administrative fines ranging from 20,000 lira to 100,000 lira per violation. Additionally, the definition of internet "traffic information" will be expanded to include the terms "source and destination," providing legal assurance for the algorithmic network analysis capacity of national cyber threat intelligence.

With the proposal, changes to the Civil Servants Law will also tighten the hierarchical structure in public administration. The service seniority requirement for appointment to administrative positions equivalent to department heads in civil servant status will be increased from 5 years to 10 years.

Through an amendment to the Electricity Market Law, the period of support provided from the central government budget for general lighting expenses of local administrations, such as street lamps, will be extended until December 31, 2030. However, to balance the burden on public finances, the deduction rates from municipal budgets will also be increased. The lighting deduction from the share of general budget tax revenues will be raised from 10% to 30% for metropolitan municipalities and special provincial administrations, and from 5% to 15% for other municipalities.

TOURISM PREMIUM SUPPORT

With the proposal, the duration of per-employee incentive programs for businesses maintaining employment in the manufacturing industry, funded by the Unemployment Insurance Fund, will be extended by another 2 years, setting the new deadline as December 31, 2028. On the other hand, in the tourism sector, where occupancy rates have declined due to political developments and security risks in neighboring countries, accommodation facilities with a Ministry of Culture and Tourism certificate will receive premium support for the May-December 2026 period. This support will be provided through a deduction of approximately 3,500 lira per month, calculated at a daily rate of 116.67 lira based on the premium days of the insured employees they report.

SUPPORT FOR CINEMA

To free the financing structure of Turkish cinema from dependence on the general budget, a new revenue item has been created with the regulation. Cinema sector support has been included in the usage scope of the revolving fund of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Accordingly, 2% of the annual net sales of media service providers offering conditional access and operators of digital platforms broadcasting over the internet will be directly transferred to the Ministry's revolving fund account as cinema support.

DRIVERS ENGAGING IN DRIFTING AND WEAVING WILL HAVE THEIR LICENSES REVOKED

With the proposal, certain articles of the Highway Traffic Law have been reorganized in line with the annulment decisions of the Constitutional Court. Violations such as drifting and weaving, which seriously endanger traffic safety, will now be directly listed among the reasons for the revocation of a learner driver's license.

CIVIL AVIATION LEGISLATION ALIGNED WITH INTERNATIONAL LAW

With the amendment to the Turkish Civil Aviation Law, emergency provisions, previously limited only to search and rescue teams, have been expanded to cover all aircraft, flight crews, and passengers in "distress" situations, including aircraft hijacking or bomb threats. Additionally, the scope of the term "interception instruction" regarding the prevention or removal of vehicles not permitted to enter the airspace has been clarified with the proposal. The regulation also makes it mandatory for Turkish civil aircraft to comply with interception instructions in the airspace of foreign states, and administrative fines for legal entities that fail to comply will be applied at a full 5 times the rate for deterrence.

VEHICLE'S DRIVE SYSTEM, ALONG WITH ENGINE DISPLACEMENT, WILL DETERMINE SCT RATE

With a motion submitted to the Planning and Budget Committee, an amendment was made to the Special Consumption Tax (SCT) system for automobiles in the omnibus law proposal. The term "drive system" was added to the SCT Law, following the term "engine cylinder displacement." Accordingly, in addition to engine displacement, the vehicle's drive system will also be one of the criteria determining the SCT rate. Thus, 4x2 and 4x4 vehicles with the same engine displacement may be subject to different tax rates. The law proposal does not include any specific rates or classifications for which drive system corresponds to which SCT rate. The authority to determine the rates will lie with the President.

MINISTRY OFFICIALS AND DEPUTIES TO BE HEARD IN COMMISSION INVESTIGATING SCHOOL ATTACKS

The Commission investigating the School Incidents in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş and Digital Risks will hold two meetings this week. On Tuesday, officials from the Ministries of Justice, Health, Transport and Infrastructure, Youth and Sports, Family and Social Services, and the Presidency of Religious Affairs will be heard. On Wednesday, deputies from Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa will present their findings, views, and suggestions to the commission.

Party group meetings at the TBMM are planned for Tuesday and Wednesday.

CONTACT TRAFFIC REGARDING THE PROCESS

Meanwhile, with only days left before the TBMM's summer recess, attention has turned to the "framework law" regarding the solution process. The contact traffic that accelerated last week regarding the "framework law," which AK Party officials have stated is planned to be submitted before Parliament goes into recess, is expected to continue this week. It has been reported that the İmralı Delegation will go to the island on Wednesday or Thursday to meet with PKK terrorist organization leader Abdullah Öcalan. During this visit, discussions on the regulations envisaged in the framework law draft are expected. It is also stated that TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş will visit political parties to provide information and seek support for the law to pass through consensus.