Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The effects of the pandemic on the sectors were discussed at the online meeting. At the meeting, restaurants, cafes, cakes, chocolates and dessert makers, whose services are limited to takeaway and delivery within the framework of the fight against coronavirus and who are trying to stay afloat with government support, demanded to reopen with HES code to be able to pay rent, taxes, SSI and all other expenses.

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the sectoral issues and problems conveyed to TOBB by the Chamber and Commodity Exchange Administrations are relayed daily to their interlocutors on the same day and said that they continued to work on protecting the rights and interests of the members in accordance with the authority given by the relevant laws and relaying them to the authorities in order to solve their problems. Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they carried out activities to support TOBB member enterprises during the pandemic process and provided bail opportunities to member enterprises through the Credit Guarantee Fund, “There is not another professional organization in the world vouching for their members. After March 15^th, we vouched for 200,000 businesses and they used a total of TL 200 billion in loans with TOBB's guarantee.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu, who explained that as TOBB and 365 chambers/exchanges, they provide all manner of support to their members in difficult times, having provided 'Breath Credits' 8 times in 11 years, “We use our resources for our members within the framework of the authority given to us by the law.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Ankara Chamber of Commerce is one of the chambers which put the most resources into Breath Credit. Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they’ve relayed the restaurants’ request to extend takeaway period to midnight to the Ministry of Interior and received positive results, and that they also received support for employees who did not benefit from the Short Work Allowance.

Recalling the demand for “rent support” for businesses, Hisarcıklıoğlu reported that ATO President Baran expressed this demand at the Turkish Economic Council, which took place with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Hisarcıklıoğlu said that they have also relayed the request for the postponement of tax and premium payments to the relevant authorities.

- Bail of 6 billion liras to businesses

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that they are working to transfer funds from the European Investment Fund to the Credit Guarantee Fund, and within this framework, they provide loan bail to enterprises for maturities of up to 60 months, with a non-payment of one year up to 1,125,000 liras. In this context, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, they can provide a total of TL 6 billion in bail.

The demands expressed by the representatives of the food and drink and service sector at the online meeting were: Allowing the activities of eating and drinking places with HES codes; support for rent and other fixed expenses for businesses whose business activities are limited/stopped and businesses that provide private dormitory services; postponing rent during the pandemic for businesses located in university compounds, and supporting interest-free loans by public banks; reducing the commission rate received from retail businesses by online food order companies and the duration of payments to these businesses; restructuring of loans with Credit Guarantee Fund bail; postponement of the payment date of the first installment payment in January to a later date for the configuration in the Law No. 7256 on the Restructuring of Some Receivables; postponement of SSI and tax debt payments postponed under force majeure until March 2021.

- ATO President Gürsel Baran

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, ATO President Baran stated that they are closely monitoring ATO’s 67 committees and investigating the issues and problems of all sectors, adding, “We are trying to assist our sectors by forwarding the requests and suggestions from our committees to the relevant authorities, especially to our TOBB President, Mr. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu.”

Reminding that he expressed the demand for force majeure for the service sector, Baran said, “We also requested rent support.” Baran reminded that the tax and SSI payments, which are not covered by the restructuring are delayed due to the inability to make turnover, said, “We have requested that these payments be postponed to a reasonable time. Payment periods for payments postponed by restructuring begin as of January. However, the situation shows that it will not be possible to start these payments. The introduction of restructuring payments at a later date will relieve the sectors.”

Baran also reiterated the expectation of affirmative action for the service sector among the sectors that will benefit from the Credit Guarantee Fund's support package from the European Investment Fund. Baran said the food and drink industry would forward its proposal to work with HES codes to the relevant authorities.

- Attendees

Attending the meeting moderated ATO President Baran and attended by TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu were ATO Vice President Temel Aktay and Halil İbrahim Yılmaz, Board Members M. Fatih Çetinkaya, Nuh Acar and Süleyman Ekinci, Secretary General Gökhan Özdemir, Chairman of the Service Sector Specialization Commission İbrahim Ayhan, Service Sector Öİk Councilors Gürsel Deliktaş and Hasan Ardıç, No. 40 Cake Makers, Chocolate and Sweets , Deputy Chairman of the Committee Mehmet Bozok, Committee Councillors, Doğanalp Yusuf Çiftçi, Serkan Öz, Chairman of the No. 60 Professional Committee of Restaurant and Cafe Services Gürbüz Bekiş, Deputy Chairman of the Committee Hasan Sancur, Committee Council Members Ayşe Nilay Çelik, Yunus Demirci, M. Akın Dinçer, Abdulbekir Yılmaz and Committee Member Emre Güner.