Special communication tax increased 33 percent

Neşe Karanfil - ANKARA

The special communication tax (SCT), which is applied on mobile voice, messaging, internet and cable TV services, has been increased from 7.5 percent to 10 percent, according to a presidential decree published on the Official Gazette.

Turkey collected 4.48 billion Turkish Liras ($640.22 million) in SCT last year, 356,000 liras more than it predicted in September 2020.

According to the budget of 2021, Turkey expects to collect 4.70 billion liras ($652.77 million) this year and 5.10 billion liras next year.

The SCT was introduced temporarily in 1999 to help cushion the economic damage of the devastating Marmara earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4, which killed at least 17,000 people and halted activities in the country’s most industrialized region for months. Its aim was to create funds for urban transformation in earthquake zones, which lie on most parts of the country.

In 2005, the SCT, formerly known as the earthquake tax, became permanent with a legislation approved in parliament.