Hole in the public purse: 'Adana City Hospital hasn't paid a single penny in taxes since it opened'

Yüreğir Mayor Ali Demirçalı made striking statements to the ANKA News Agency regarding the burden Adana City Hospital has placed on the public.

Demirçalı stated that Adana City Hospital has not paid property taxes since the day it opened, noting, "There is an outstanding tax debt of over 40 million in principal, excluding interest. Just as we as a municipality pay our taxes and premiums, this hospital must also pay its dues. The hospital, which opened in 2017, has not paid us a single penny in taxes, nor has it even filed a declaration, and they are trying to drag out the process. The people of Yüreğir should not worry; I will not let a single penny of theirs be squandered, and I will follow this through to the end," he said.

Adana Yüreğir Mayor Ali Demirçalı announced that Adana City Hospital has not filed a tax declaration since the day it was established and that it has an outstanding property tax debt of 40 million 396 thousand 922 TL to the Yüreğir Municipality, excluding interest.

Speaking to the ANKA News Agency on the subject, Demirçalı said:

"We took over the municipality with a debt of around 1 billion 100 million liras. We are quickly getting our municipality back on track. As a municipality, we are paying our debts to the Treasury and the Social Security Institution (SSK). However, citizens must also pay their property and tax debts.

Tax debt is a debt of honor. While our citizens in Yüreğir, who live on a pension of 12 thousand liras or get by on a minimum wage of 17 thousand liras, pay their property taxes, it is unacceptable for a hospital with 600 thousand square meters of indoor space on 1380 decares of land not to pay its tax debt.

They have neither paid their tax debt to date nor filed a declaration. Since the day the hospital opened, it has not paid a single penny in taxes to our municipality. As Yüreğir Municipality, we provide constant support with our two vehicles, six personnel, and fuel, and we will continue to do so. We cannot stop the cleaning service, but this hospital, despite operating like a private hospital and being one of the largest hospitals in Turkey, continues to do business without paying a single penny in property tax. This is a great injustice to the people of Yüreğir. Yüreğir is a district where poverty is intense, a district where children go to bed hungry. We were elected to serve the citizens, and for that reason, we need to collect these taxes, but unfortunately, despite our repeated meetings and their promises that they 'will pay,' they have not made a single payment, and I suspect they do not intend to.

This matter has been referred to the judiciary. The process is currently ongoing. We have all the documents in our possession. We expect them to pay this debt as soon as possible. There is an outstanding tax debt of over 40 million in principal, excluding interest. Just as we as a municipality pay our taxes and premiums, this hospital must also pay its dues. The hospital, which opened in 2017, has not paid us a single penny in taxes, nor has it even filed a declaration, and they are trying to drag out the process. We have to collect these taxes. The people of Yüreğir should not worry; I will not let a single penny of theirs be squandered, and I will follow this through to the end. I am already continuing to do so."

News Source: 12punto