CHP's Öztunç: 'Workers paid 322 percent more tax than bosses'

CHP Kahramanmaraş Deputy Ali Öztunç stated that in 2023, indirect taxes increased by 101.4 percent to 2.9 trillion liras, while direct taxes rose by 74.6 percent to 1.5 trillion liras, adding, "The share of indirect taxes increased by 3.3 points compared to the previous year, reaching 65.5 percent. In Turkey, workers paid 322 percent more tax than bosses in December 2023."

"WITH INDIRECT TAXES..."

Öztunç noted the following:

“Last year, while indirect taxes increased by 101.4 percent to 2 trillion 946 billion liras, direct taxes rose by 74.6 percent to 1 trillion 555 billion liras. The share of indirect taxes increased by 3.3 points compared to the previous year, reaching 65.5 percent. In Turkey, workers paid 322 percent more tax than bosses in December 2023. The AKP collects more from low-income earners than from the wealthy through indirect taxes. The situation is not changing in 2024; the tax burden will increase even further.

Both indirect and direct taxes recorded increases significantly higher than inflation. If we accept the inflation rate of TUIK as accurate, there was a real increase of 9.4 percent in tax revenues. Considering that the national income growth rate remained around 4 percent, it follows that there was a very serious increase in the tax burden on citizens in 2023. Unfair taxes shrink the bread of the low-income earner.

This rate was 2 percent 4 years ago; as of July, 10 liras of every 100 liras of tax collected by the government came from the Special Consumption Tax (ÖTV) on motor vehicles. This amount was only 2 liras in 2019. The fact that vehicles are in the 80 percent ÖTV bracket creates a significant problem for Turkish consumers in accessing automobiles, and now all automobiles have entered the 80 percent and above tax bracket."