Price hike from the Official Gazette: Tax on overseas orders increased from 30 percent to 60 percent

With a Presidential decree published in the Official Gazette, an additional customs duty has been imposed on products ordered from abroad. According to the new regulation, an additional customs duty will be applied to products ordered from overseas.

While the tax rate for goods coming directly from European Union countries has been set at 30 percent, this rate will be 60 percent for products coming from other countries. This change will bring additional costs to overseas shopping and will affect import transactions.

The following statements were included in the decision regarding Customs Law No. 4458, which was published in the Official Gazette and bears the President's signature:

"The first paragraph of Article 62 of the Decision on the Implementation of Certain Articles of Customs Law No. 4458, which was put into effect with the Council of Ministers Decision dated 29/9/2009 and numbered 2009/15481, has been amended as follows.

NEW TAX RATES AND IMPORT REGULATIONS

A single and flat tax shall be collected on the value of goods arriving to a natural person via mail or express cargo transport that do not possess a commercial quantity and nature, and which do not exceed 30 Euros in value, as well as medicine-type goods not exceeding 1500 Euros in value; at a rate of 30 percent if they come directly from European Union countries, 60 percent if they come from other countries, and an additional 20 percent to the above rates if they are goods included in the list (IV) attached to the Special Consumption Tax Law No. 4760 dated 6/6/2002.

The expression "150" in subparagraph (b) of the first paragraph of Article 126 of the same Decision has been changed to "30"."

With another Presidential decree, a tariff quota application was introduced for the import of sunflower seeds for oil and crude sunflower oil.