He wasn't satisfied with the taxi fare hike...

Yesterday, while public transport fares in Istanbul were increased by 13 to 20 percent, there was also a price hike in taxi fares. Eyüp Aksu, President of the Istanbul Taxi Drivers' Chamber of Tradesmen, objected to the hike rate, stating, "We do not accept a proposal that ignores the tradesmen. We will shut down our engines with these costs."

On the other hand, journalist Bora Erdin wrote about the taxes paid by Eyüp Aksu. In his article, Erdin addressed Aksu's claim that taxi drivers (plate owners) pay too much tax, saying, "A minimum wage earner pays in 2.5 days the amount of tax that a taxi plate owner, whose plate is worth 6-8 million TL, pays in a year."

Stating, "I am revealing the tax paid by Istanbul Taxi Drivers' Chamber President Eyüp Aksu," Erdin wrote the following in his article:

"There is a commercial taxi problem in Istanbul.

It has become an endless topic of discussion.

A content creator asks boat owners, 'What do you do for a living?'

The person on the boat says, 'My father has taxi plates.' And the boat he is on was the smallest one.

When Istanbul Taxi Drivers' Chamber of Tradesmen President Eyüp Aksu made a post about Martı TAG, I, as a citizen, asked the following question:

"How many taxi plates do you own, and how much tax have you paid?"

"In Istanbul, a person can only own one taxi plate."

However, there is no obstacle to leasing taxi plates.

Meanwhile, it is evident that commercial taxis, an estimated 92 percent of which are leased, do not pay taxes. 

Due to a legal loophole, taxes that would arise from leasing are not collected under any circumstances.

In other words, even if Aksu has a leased taxi plate, it is not even subject to taxation.

The driver pays the tax on it.

In this case, let us proceed based on one plate owned by Aksu.

But I found out how much tax the single taxi owned by Aksu pays.

I even learned what the current market value of that taxi (excluding the vehicle itself) is today.

I am ready to share these in court if this article becomes the subject of a lawsuit.

Challenge accepted, Eyüp Aksu. 

But first, let's remember how much tax a minimum wage earner receiving 17,002 TL pays in a month.

Gross minimum wage: 20,002.50 TL

A minimum wage employee pays 3,000.38 TL in taxes every month.

A minimum wage earner pays 36,000 TL in taxes per year.

The employer pays it every month before giving the worker their salary.

***

Just yesterday, Eyüp Aksu did not accept the taxi fare hike and threatened the IMM (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality).

Dissatisfied with the fare increase decision that emerged from the UKOME meeting, Aksu stated that they would 'shut down their engines' if a 30 percent hike was not applied to taxi fares.

In 2023, a tax exemption was granted to businesses operating under the simple method.

The tax that Eyüp Aksu was supposed to pay for the taxi he owns was 2,149.89 TL.

However, due to the exemption, he only paid stamp duty.

Tax paid: 230.70 TL

Two hundred and thirty Turkish Lira and 70 kuruş in writing.

The tax paid by Eyüp Aksu is about as much as the fare shown on the taximeter of a taxi you take from Taksim to Ortaköy.

A minimum wage earner pays in 2.5 days the amount of tax that the owner of a taxi license plate worth 6-8 million TL pays in a year.

Note: In the meantime, I am aware of the pressure on the hardworking drivers who try to earn a few pennies to cover the taxi rent and struggle to pay for the maintenance and insurance of their cars. We have a score to settle with the bosses who exploit them and force them to work under pressure.