Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Co-organized by Edirne Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Edirne Commodity Exchange, the joint meeting  and the Region Chambers and Commodity Exchanges Joint Meeting took place at the Edirne Lalezar Facilities with the attendance of TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Finance Minister Naci Ağbal.

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Trakya has very important opportunities. Stating that Thracia is the center of agriculture, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Fertile lands. Whatever you plant will thrive. The region is carrying Turkey’s burden in rice, sunflower, wheat. The center of animal husbandry. Disease-free territory. There is tremendous treasure in tourism. Edirne is the city most prolific in historical artifacts after Florence. Tekirdağ is the most important industrial center in Turkey. There's a harbor, there's a railroad, there's a highway. Thracians should really praise Allah, in gratitude.”

- Government support in matters demanded by business community

TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that there is no problem-free economy but that the positive thing is the presence of an understanding government. Hisarcıklıoğlu, who recently worked closely with the Ministry of Finance, said, “There have been many issues we have demanded resolution for as the business community. They’ve not been solved for years. The minister made great reforms. I praise him as someone who gets the ball rolling. A few examples: Company establishment has been simplified. The CGF capacity has been increased to 250 billion liras. We stated a great need to restructure the tax debts in these difficult times. He gave us instructions to make the arrangement and made arrangements that relieved all of us. The scope of the stamp tax was narrowed. There was a problem with VAT checks. We've been asking you to speed it up for years. We’ve said the market was tight. Demand-side sectors received tax discounts immediately. We’ve been asking for tax deductions for those who regularly pay their taxes.

The good news arrived in recent days. The government is greatly contributing to employment (First 3 months’ salary + tax + insurance premium), then (net salary, tax + SSI premium from the state). This is a terrific understanding. I wholeheartedly thank the government on behalf of the Turkish business community.”