Trade Minister Ömer Bolat blames municipalities for exorbitant price hikes: 'To avoid confrontation with shopkeepers...'

Trade Minister Ömer Bolat made statements regarding the current agenda.

Speaking to NTV, Bolat shifted the blame for exorbitant price hikes onto municipalities.

"Municipalities also need to fulfill their responsibilities," said Bolat, adding the following:

"We immediately carry out inspections and apply penal sanctions on products where we can see exorbitant price increases. Municipalities are not very willing to take on their responsibilities in this regard. They act with indifference, as if all the responsibility lies with the government, just to avoid confrontation with shopkeepers. We are reminding them of their responsibilities in this matter."

Stating that there will be changes to the Wholesale Market Law, Bolat also added, "We are working with our relevant general directorates, wholesale markets, and marketplace administrations. We are in the preparation phase and have not finalized it yet," he said.

Minister Bolat stated that the recent regulations regarding overseas shopping were implemented to ensure domestic producers do not suffer from "unfair trade," adding, "We expect understanding from consumers."

REGULATION ON OVERSEAS SHOPPING

Bolat made the following remarks regarding the decision for additional customs duties on overseas purchases:

"We observed the negative effects of Far Eastern companies taking advantage of fast cargo regulations, and following intense complaints from shopkeepers, SMEs, and relevant professional organizations, we lowered the 150-euro cargo limit to 30 euros.

Upon seeing attempts to evade this additional tax by excluding shipping costs from the price to show a lower price while inflating the shipping cost, we implemented a mechanism with a decision that went into effect last week, which includes the shipping fee in the price."

REPRESENTATIVE REQUIREMENT FOR E-COMMERCE GIANTS

Bolat stated that a new regulation regarding digital services is also on the way, reminding that foreign companies must open representative offices in Turkey by April.

Bolat said that about two weeks ago, they met with the Turkey-based executives of all the companies involved in these digital operations at our ministry.

Stating that representatives from Amazon and Temu were also present at the meeting, Bolat said, "If they do not open a representative office, they cannot operate; it is that simple, so they are all opening them."

WILL THE 6-MONTH, 6,000-KILOMETER LIMIT CONTINUE?

And the 6-month and 6,000-kilometer limit imposed on second-hand vehicle sales... The duration of the practice expires in January 2025.

Bolat said, "We are continuing discussions with sectoral organizations regarding whether or not the 6-month, 6,000-km practice should continue. We will make a decision by the end of the month in consultation with the economic management and the government."

News Source: 12punto