Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek had made statements regarding the minimum wage, pensions, and the tax package during a broadcast on Bloomberg HT-Habertürk.
Şimşek stated, "When compared to developing countries, the minimum wage in Turkey is not low, but there is, of course, a cost-of-living crisis."
Stating that the exploitation of this issue involves populism, Şimşek said, "We have seen where populism has brought Turkey. The cost of excluding the minimum wage from taxation is 670 billion TL. The minimum wage will have increased in real terms this year."
Following the backlash against his remarks on the minimum wage, television producer Armağan Çağlayan also reacted to Şimşek.
Quoting Şimşek's statement that "the minimum wage in Turkey is not low," Çağlayan responded as follows:
News Source: 12punto
