Announcement by the Revenue Administration (19/03/2020)

• It has been stated that;
• All petitions that need to be submitted to the tax office until 10.04.2020 shall be sent electronically via the Interactive Tax Office application or sent by mail and within this framework all petitions such as starting the job, quitting the job, opening and closing branches, no debt letter, obligation status letter, postponement application, compromise request, etc. shall be sent electronically via Interactive Tax Office's website (ivd.gib.gov.tr) or mobile application (GİB Mobil) or by mail,
• Declarations shall be made only on the Ready Declaration System for real property and security income, wages, and other earnings and returns until 10.04.2020,
• Income tax returns related to specified income items shall be sent over the Ready Declaration System using the website (hazirbeyan.gib.gov.tr) or mobile applications or by mail Reminding that income tax returns that need to be submitted until 31.03.2020 are extended until 30.04.2020,
• Payments regarding taxes, fees, and administrative fines and valuable paper prices that can be paid by credit card through the Interactive Tax Office or through contracted banks shall be made through Interactive Tax Office or through contracted banks instead of tax office cashier until the date of 10.04.2020,
• Corporate taxpayers 'tax payments shall be made through using alternative payment channels (Interactive Tax Office, contracted banks and post office) instead of the tax offices' pay desk,
• People who are not citizens of the Republic of Turkey, the tax identification number of potential demand for interactive Tax Office website (ivd.gib.gov.t is) shall be realized through the application and the potential tax identification number shall be generated electronically, therefore, application to Tax Offices to get potential Tax ID shall not be deemed necessary for people who are not citizens of the Republic of Turkey.

Suggestion made by the Personal Data Protection Authority (18/03/2020)

• It has been suggested that complaints and data breach notifications to the Authority should be made electronically.

Economic Stability Shield Package announced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (18/03/2020)

• April, May and June payments of the concise and VAT withholding and SSI premiums have been postponed for 6 months for retail, shopping mall, iron-steel, automotive, logistics-transportation, cinema-theater, accommodation, food and beverage, textile-garment and event-organization sectors.
• Accommodation tax will not be applied until November 2020.
• The right of servitude and revenue share payments related to hotel rentals have been postponed for 6 months for April, May, and June.
• The VAT rate has been reduced from 18% to 1% for 3 months for domestic airline transportation.
• Companies whose cash flow is deteriorating because they are affected by the measures related to the Covid-19 outbreak, credit capital payments and interest payments to banks will be delayed for a minimum of 3 months and additional financial support will be provided if necessary.
• In order to maintain capacity utilization rates during the temporary slowdown in exports, stock financing support will be provided to exporters.
• In this period, credit debts of small business and artisans to Halkbank who demanded by declaring that their business was adversely affected, April, May and June principal and interest payments, will be postponed for 3 months and without interest.
• The Credit Guarantee Fund limit will be increased from 25 billion Turkish Liras to 50 billion Turkish Liras, and loan priority will be given to SMEs and firms with liquidity needs and collateral deficits as they are negatively affected by developments.
• The mortgage finance amount for the purchase of houses under 500.000 Turkish Lira value, will be increased from 80% to 90%, the minimum down payment will be reduced to 10%.
• The firms that have defaulted in April, May, and June will be provided with a “force majeure” grade in the credit registry.
• The duration of the concise declarations, including the payments of the deductions, has been delayed for 3 months.
• The short-time working allowance will be put into operation.
• The lowest pension wage will be increased to 1,500 Turkish Liras.
• Holiday bonuses of pensioners will be paid at the beginning of April. In addition, retirement promotion payments of pensioners will be provided directly to their accounts, without visiting branches.
• An additional 2 billion Turkish Liras will be allocated for financial aid to families according to the criteria set by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services.
• In order to ensure continuity in employment, the 2-month compensatory working period was increased to 4 months.
• Periodic follow-up program consisting of social and home health services will be put into operation for elderly people over 80 years old living alone.

Explanation regarding the Application of Electronic Arbitration to Consumer Arbitration Committees (17/03/2020)

• It has been determined that citizens who want to apply to consumer arbitration boards for the resolution of consumer disputes can make their application electronically via the e-Government portal via TÜBİS (https://www.turkiye.gov.tr/tuketici-sikayeti-uygulamasi) instead of going to the district governorships or consumer arbitration committees.

Measures regulated by the Ministry of Justice (17/03/2020)

• Apart from the investigations and prosecutions of detainees and other urgent issues, a statement was made regarding the postponement of the hearings and discoveries and the evaluation of the use of the SEGBİS application when deemed necessary.

Measures regulated by the Ministry of National Defense (17/03/2020)

• Military Schools, Petty Officer Vocational Schools and Military Colleges affiliated to the National Defense University have been vacationed until April 13, 2020. Activities such as ceremonies, conferences, short-term meetings, courses, fairs, and seminars have also been canceled. During this period, visitors will not be admitted to unions, headquarters, and institutions.

Statement by BRSA (Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency) (17/03/2020)

• Within the decision numbered 8948, amendments were made within the scope of articles 4 and of the Regulation on the Classification of Loans and the Procedures and Principles Regarding Provisions to be Reserved related thereto.
• The 90-day delay period envisaged for the illiquid claim classification of loans under credit will be applied as 180 days until 31.12.2020 for the loans monitored in the First and Second Groups as of 17.03.2020 and despite the 90-day delay, it has been decided that the provisions to be set aside for the loans that the banks continue to be classified in the second group will be separated according to their own risk models used in the calculation of the expected credit loss under TFRS 9.

Statement by the Revenue Administration (17/03/2020)

• Within the Tax Procedure Law Circular No. 125 dated 17.03.2020: 
• The period of issuance of Annual Income Tax returns for the 2019 calendar year, which shall be normally submitted by the end of 31.03.2020, and the payment periods of accrued taxes as per these statements have been extended until the end of Thursday, 30.04.2020.

Ethanol regulation by EMRA (16/03/2020)

• Refiner and distributor license holders have been suspended of the obligation to blend 3 percent ethanol into gasoline types for 3 months starting from March 13, 2020.
• Within this regulation, it is aimed to create an additional 20,000 cubic meter ethanol capacity, which can be used in the production of cologne and disinfectants, where the demand has increased due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Statement of BRSA(Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency) (16/03/2020)

• According to the Guide on Management of Operational Risk, it is stated that banks must prepare a business continuity plan in order to continue their operations and to limit important business interruptions.