Tax “political folly” Turkish merchants shout: Bad reputation has damaged us...

The Turkish newspaper, Hurriyet, owned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, revealed that the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Businessmen Association in the Organized Industrial Zone “Vidmirtaş” in the Bursa Demirtas Nilüfer Çevikal is concerned about the Saudi popular boycott as well as the Moroccan boycott of taxes imposed by Morocco on 1,200 Turkish products, and said: “It will hurt in the long run.” She added, “After the calls to boycott Turkish products, Morocco issued a statement announcing the imposition of additional taxes of 90% on 1,200 Turkish products.” The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Businessmen Association commented on this, explaining that the current events are worrying and harmful to the economy.The president of the association touched on the economic ties with Morocco, as Cevikal said: “Additional taxes will be imposed in Morocco on goods imported from Turkey, especially textiles, clothing, leather, cars, metals, wood and electrical materials. Saudi Arabia is now refusing to deal with the Turkish market.

According to the figures issued by the Turkish Exporters Council, the value of exports to Saudi Arabia amounted to $ 3.2 billion in 2019, and $ 159 million of this figure went to the city of Bursa. The value of exports to Morocco also reached $ 2.2 billion in 2019, and Bursa’s share of this number was $ 416 million. “The economic volume that has been achieved with both countries is not a number that can be easily risked,” she said.

The president of the association Cevikal stressed that the boycott and the imposition of additional taxes would expose manufacturers to serious damage, especially with the economic problems that Turkey and other countries are suffering from the outbreak of the pandemic.

“In the business world, if you produce as much as you can, and you do not find a market to sell your products, you will face problems, that would be imperfect behavior,” she added. Harmful practices to Turkey such as canceling flights and firing Turkish employees must be resolved. ”

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Home Textile Manufacturers and Businessmen Association Hassan Hussein Bayram reiterated the same concerns, saying that boycotting Turkish products from the Saudis, as well as applying an increase in taxes targeting more than 1,200 Turkish products by officials in Morocco, would harm Turkey.

Bayram stressed that the call made by the Chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ajlan Al-Ajlan to boycott Turkish products, and the increase in taxes imposed by Morocco on 1,200 Turkish products are also very bad decisions. Bayram explained that textiles accounted for about half of Turkey’s total exports to Morocco, which amounted to $ 2.2 billion last year. He added, “The tax rates, which were gradually applied, were gradually increased after their rate of 0% last year. Finally, we learned that efforts were made to raise this rate to 27%. In the event that these practices continue, layoffs will start and thus unemployment will increase upon the withdrawal of Turkish companies operating in the region, in addition to the deterioration of friendship and trade relations between the two countries.

The head of the Turkish Contractors Union, Medhat Yeni Gon, confirmed in previous statements that the bad reputation formed by Turkey had cast a shadow over the sector through huge losses that Turkish contractors received.