İmamoğlu reacts to the regulation passed by Parliament: 'This is a trap'

The new draft law accepted by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey's Planning and Budget Committee includes provisions such as various tax advantages for exporters, exemptions for 20 years regarding earnings related to abroad, and tax exceptions provided until 2047 for financial institutions in the Istanbul Financial Center. However, the most striking part of the package is the controversial 'Wealth Amnesty,' which has been implemented in the past and has come to the agenda for the eighth time in this period.

Imprisoned Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu targeted this initiative of the government with harsh words in an international post he made on social media. Expressing that the regulation encourages the transfer of unregistered assets domestically and abroad to Turkey without any questioning or taxes, İmamoğlu emphasized that such regulations pose a risk to the future of the country's economy and law.

The statements of CHP politician İmamoğlu regarding the proposal are as follows:

• Erdoğan is trying to implement the 8th Wealth Amnesty. His goal is to create resources for the next election, which he knows he will lose, by bringing assets kept unregistered at home and abroad to Turkey. He presents this as an attractive offer. In this context, he guarantees that no taxes will be collected and the source of the money will not be asked.

• However, this proposal is a trap.

• Anyone who thinks they can legalize their money and gain an advantage without paying taxes through the Wealth Amnesty is under a great delusion. Turkey has turned into a country where people can lose everything they own overnight, even without a strong court decision.

• In the last 14 months, we have seen numerous investigations and prosecutions carried out with political motives, including the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality case.

• The movable and immovable assets of my political colleagues, business people, and employees who were detained, arrested, and made suspects and defendants were seized within a single day.

• These actions were carried out unfairly, unlawfully, and by clearly ignoring the presumption of innocence. Companies and factories established over 60 years and lands inherited through generations were seized. These assets were transferred to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), which the government has turned into Turkey's largest holding company.

• All of this raises serious concerns regarding democracy, the right to a fair trial, and property rights in Turkey.

• The AK Party's Wealth Amnesty regulations are only attractive to those who want to launder their black money and those who have become cogs in this system.

• Unless there is a change of government that will restore the rule of law, justice, and property security in Turkey, it will not change anything whether this is the 8th Wealth Amnesty or the 18th Wealth Amnesty. None of these regulations will yield results.

News Source: 12punto