Treasury and Finance Minister Şimşek: 3,400 large companies in 31 provinces will be invited for clarification.

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The Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mehmet Şimşek, stated that the Tax Audit Board (VDK) is preparing an intensive audit program for large companies across the country, saying, "We are continuously carrying out our work on large companies in the field within the framework of our principle of fairness and efficiency in taxation. While we always stand by the honest taxpayer, we do not neglect the follow-up of those who earn a lot but pay little tax."

"INTENSIVE AUDIT PROGRAM FOR LARGE COMPANIES IS STARTING"

Şimşek evaluated the new steps to be taken in the fight against the informal economy. He pointed out that the ministry units are continuously working in this direction, stating, "In this context, teams consisting of tax inspectors under the VDK Presidency are preparing for an intensive audit program targeting large companies across the country." Şimşek mentioned that the audits will initially focus on 31 provinces, including Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Adana, Bursa, and Konya, with the participation of approximately 500 tax inspectors, and will expand nationwide in the following period.

"IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT 23 BILLION LIRA OF TAX BASE DIFFERENCE HAS BEEN UNDERSTATED"

Şimşek expressed that risk analysis studies, which cover hundreds of thousands of taxpayers and utilize machine learning analyses, are being conducted, and continued his remarks as follows; "3,400 large companies deemed risky will be invited to explain. Among the issues that taxpayers will be invited to explain is the application of inflation adjustment provisions in a way that undermines the tax base contrary to the legislation. The generation of unrecorded revenue and the collection of payments through third-party IBAN accounts instead of the business's bank account numbers will also be among the issues questioned. There are nearly 30 different matters among the topics for explanation, such as not withholding tax on profit distributions and the incorrect application of exemptions and deductions. In this context, the non-declaration of social media revenues will also be questioned. According to initial calculations, it has been determined that the large companies to be invited to explain have understated a tax base difference of 23 billion lira for the relevant periods."

Minister Şimşek stated that as a result of the invitation to explain, it is anticipated that billions of lira in tax calculated on the specified base will be returned to the public, adding that taxpayers whose explanations are deemed sufficient will be relieved from the burden of tax audit processes.

"WE WILL ENSURE FAIRNESS IN TAXATION BY PREVENTING INFORMALITY"

Şimşek drew attention to the fact that those who do not provide explanations and those whose explanations are deemed insufficient will be referred for tax audits, and noted: "We are continuously carrying out our work on large companies in the field within the framework of our principle of fairness and efficiency in taxation. While we always stand by the honest taxpayer, we do not neglect the follow-up of those who earn a lot but pay little tax. Our audits will continue to increase in all sectors to ensure fairness in taxation by preventing informality. While ensuring fairness in taxation by preventing informality, we also protect the honest and tax-compliant taxpayer against competitive inequality."