Turkey's top tax-paying cities revealed! Which city pays the most tax in the country?

According to the budget data of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, tax accrual across the country in 2024 increased by 55.9 percent compared to the previous year to 8 trillion 367.6 billion liras, while tax collection increased by 62.3 percent to 7 trillion 304.9 billion liras.

While Istanbul alone accounted for nearly half of the total tax, the other 80 provinces combined contributed only as much as Istanbul.

So which provinces paid the most tax? Which provinces paid the least tax?

TAX BURDEN IN ISTANBUL

Compared to the previous year, tax accrual in Istanbul increased by 61.8 percent and collection by 66.6 percent, with the ratio of collection to accrual rising from 89.4 percent to 92 percent. Istanbul's share in total national tax collection, which was 47.6 percent in 2023, rose to 48.8 percent last year. Accordingly, while Istanbul, where 15.7 million people—or 18.3 percent of the country's 85.4 million population—live, created nearly half of the tax pie on its own, the other 80 provinces combined contributed only as much as Istanbul to the tax pool.

CITIES THAT PAID THE MOST TAX HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED

According to an article by Naki Bakır from Dünya, Ankara was the province that contributed the most to the tax pie after Istanbul. Kocaeli took third place with a 10.3 percent share, paying 753 billion liras in taxes. It was followed by İzmir, Bursa, Mersin, Antalya, Adana, Tekirdağ, and Hatay.

WHICH CITIES PAID THE LEAST TAX?

Due to low population and limited economic activity, the cities that paid the least tax in 2024 were listed as follows: Bayburt, Tunceli, Ardahan, Gümüşhane, and Kilis.

KOCAELİ RANKED FIRST IN TAX PER CAPITA

The city that paid the most tax per capita was Kocaeli. Paying an average of 85 thousand 565 liras, Kocaeli stood in a different range compared to other cities. In this province, tax collection per capita was 4.2 times the Turkish average. The reason for such a result in Kocaeli was attributed to the presence of large industrial establishments there.

Istanbul, which is the province with the largest economy but an extremely high population, ranked second after Kocaeli in average annual tax collection per capita with 227 thousand 896 liras.

WHICH CITIES PAID THE MOST TAX PER CAPITA?

Kocaeli

Istanbul

İzmir

Ankara

Mersin

Yalova

Tekirdağ

Bursa

Antalya

Muğla