Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) held weekly group meetings in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM). CHP Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu came to power over the economy at the group meeting of his party. MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli made harsh criticisms of the opposition parties.
“TRADESMEN PAID 8 PERCENT OF VALUE ADDED TAX”
Kılıçdaroğlu repeated his call that he would not pay the electricity bill and drew attention to the fact that millions of citizens could not pay their bills. Kılıçdaroğlu, who wanted the price hikes to be withdrawn immediately, also evaluated the government's reduction of the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate on food to 1 percent, "They said, ‘We are reducing VAT from 8 percent to 1 percent.’ Shopkeepers paid 8 percent. They are giving tax deductions on the back of the shopkeeper. They send an inflation control team to the shopkeepers. Penalties pile up. I used to think that Erdogan doesn't know about the economy, but in truth he would know about trade. He says you will buy at 8 percent and sell at 1 percent. Institution responsible for price stability is Centeral Bank. This authorization was taken from the Central Bank, they do not know what to do for it. Price stability was not achieved, inflation did not decrease, the current account deficit did not decrease. The state cannot be ruled by absurdity and nonsense. You will manage with reason, knowledge and experience,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.
“THERE IS AN OPPOSITION THAT THINKS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY”
Speaking about the meeting where 6 opposition party leaders came together in Ahlatlıbel, Kılıçdaroğlu said, “The leaders of the 6 parties achieved an important success in the history of Turkish politics and came together. They said, 'We need to solve the problems'. Government wing can't solve it, they screw it up. They made Turkey a beggar. They damaged Turkey's honor. They go to the people they called 'dishonest' until yesterday, they kiss hands and feet. The chairman of the 6 parties is determined to correct this picture. We came together with this determination. We got together and talked. We have a notification. We signed our signatures in turn and shared them with the public. I would like to tell all my compatriots. Never despair. Say as a good thing that there is opposition in the country. It is good to say that there is a healthy, consistent opposition in this country that thinks about the future of the country.”
“AUDIT AUTHORITY MUST BE GIVEN AGAIN TO ‘TEDAŞ’”
MHP Chairman Devlet Bahceli, on the other hand, stated that they could not tolerate the oppression of citizens under inflation and said that they could not stand by. Referring to the ongoing discussions over electricity distribution companies, Bahçeli said, “The main reasons for the power cuts in Isparta should be sought here. On March 31, 2021, the audit authority of Turkish Electricity Distribution Corporation (TEDAŞ) regarding the financial matters, sales and purchasing transactions of distribution companies was abolished and transferred to Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). In our opinion, this audit authority should be given to TEDAŞ again. Distribution companies that will return to the public sector in 2036 should not be allowed to be emptied. The distribution of electricity by the state, in addition to reducing the tax burden on electricity, will alleviate the problems we are exposed to.”