In his written statement, the President of the Confederation of Turkish Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK), Bendevi Palandöken, pointed out that the second year in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in Turkey is about to be completed. Stating that the tradesmen, who were adversely affected by the pandemic, were crushed under the increasing costs during the recovery phase. Palandöken reported that the rise in electricity, natural gas and fuel prices brought the business of the tradesmen to a standstill again.
FUEL PRICES BECOME HANDBRAKE
Emphasizing that fuel prices, which were kept under control with the echelle mobile system during the pandemic, reached the highest level in history with the increase in exchange rates, Palandöken said:
“Fuel prices have now started to act as a handbrake on the economy. Special Consumption Tax (SCT) should not be charged on fuel until gasoline and diesel prices fall again. If SCT is not taken, inflation will come down rapidly and prices will fall. Confidence comes to markets. When exchange rates begin to fall towards the summer months, fuel prices also will fall. When gasoline and diesel prices fall below 9 Turkish Liras (TL) per liter, SCT can be taken again. However, today, SCT should not be charged on gasoline and diesel to support tradesmen and farmers.”