The General Assembly and committee agenda of the TBMM will be busy this week. The Planning and Budget Committee will continue discussions on the 2027 budgets of ministries and their affiliated and related institutions. The first major topic of the week in the committee will be the Ministry of Justice budget, which will be addressed while discussions continue regarding the disclosure of the list of names mentioned in the fund fraud case.
TURKISH RED CRESCENT LAW PROPOSAL TO BE DISCUSSED IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
In the General Assembly, it is expected that discussions on the Turkish Red Crescent Law Proposal, which were interrupted due to the prioritization of the law proposal regarding the liquidation of funds and the law proposal on the approval of the Mecca Agreement, will continue. Four articles of the proposal, which consists of a total of 9 articles, had already been accepted.
The proposal includes regulations regarding the duties, powers, rights, and exemptions of the Turkish Red Crescent. The regulation aims to strengthen the institution's status as a national and international humanitarian aid organization and to enable it to carry out activities in the fields of disaster, war, health, humanitarian aid, and social support both domestically and abroad.
TAX AND CUSTOMS EXEMPTIONS FOR THE TURKISH RED CRESCENT
The text also envisions that the Turkish Red Crescent will establish coordination and sign protocols with relevant public institutions and organizations, and that certain procurements aimed at increasing disaster management and humanitarian aid capacity will be considered within the scope of strategic procurement. Benefiting from the free transfer of certain movable properties, exemptions from certain taxes and fees, and customs facilities for imported aid materials are also among the topics of the proposal.
The proposal, which also includes provisions regarding the sustainability of blood services, regulates the payment of cash compensation to Turkish Red Crescent personnel who actively serve in the area of operation during extraordinary periods, disasters, wars, and times of conflict. Furthermore, it is envisioned that the Turkish Red Crescent provincial branch president and, if any, district branch presidents will serve on the board of trustees of the social assistance and solidarity foundation.
DIGITAL ACCOMMODATION PLATFORMS ALSO ON THE AGENDA
Once the discussions on the Turkish Red Crescent Law Proposal in the General Assembly are completed, the Foreign Digital Accommodation Platforms Law Proposal is expected to be addressed. The proposal aims to bring the activities of foreign digital accommodation platforms that provide services to consumers in Turkey under the scope of permission, registration, and supervision.
According to the regulation, foreign digital platforms that wish to provide reservation services to accommodation facilities in Turkey will be required to obtain a permit certificate from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. For the permit certificate, it will be a condition to appoint a representative in Turkey, for the platform to be a taxpayer for digital service tax, and to pay its tax debts in Turkey. Permit certificates will not be issued to platforms that do not appoint a representative.
ACCESS TO BOOKING MAY BE OPENED
It is envisioned that the permit fee will be 5 million TL, that this amount will be increased annually by the revaluation rate, and that the President will be authorized to increase the amount up to two times or decrease it by half. While the regulation is planned to enter into force on January 1, 2027, a 3-month period will be granted to existing platforms for permit applications. With the enactment of the proposal, it is expected that access to Booking from Turkey will also be opened.
WEEKLY WORK SCHEDULE OF COMMITTEES
According to the weekly program of the Planning and Budget Committee, the Ministry of Justice's budget will be discussed tomorrow. On Tuesday, the budgets of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, on Wednesday the Ministry of Family and Social Services, and on Thursday the Ministry of National Education and its affiliated and related institutions will be addressed.
In the State Economic Enterprises (KİT) Committee, the accounts of the Post and Telegraph Organization (PTT) and its subsidiaries will be examined on Tuesday, and the accounts of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, Turkish Maritime Enterprises, the Istanbul Olympic Games Preparation and Organizing Committee, USHAŞ, and SADES Health AŞ will be examined on Wednesday. In the Committee on Public Works, Reconstruction, Transportation, and Tourism, the Court of Accounts report regarding the Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency will be addressed on Thursday. Political party group meetings are planned to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday.
News Source: 12punto
