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Turkey: Finance Ministry to introduce e-commerce transactions regulations

Thursday 14 April 2011 11:24 CET | News

The Turkish Finance Ministry is set to regulate e-commerce transactions to impose taxes on electronic trade via credit card payments, focusing on tax losses resulted from the purchases made via online portals, according to the online media outlet hurriyetdailynews.com.

The draft of the new measures for e-commerce transactions is aimed at regulating commercial communication, contracts made via electronic communication, as well as obligations of information disclosure on the issue.

According to the new rules, the buyers who order a product via electronic communication channels have to see the terms and conditions of the contract during the process of confirming the order before entering the payment data. Furthermore, commercial electronic mails must be sent to recipients only on condition that their prior consent is obtained.

The Finance Ministry will settle the legal infrastructure to regulate such e-commerce transactions regulation together with the Revenue Administration, the Industry and Trade Ministry and the Information and Communication Technologies.

Via the new regulations, the Industry and Trade Ministry will be authorized to take precautions to guarantee the efficacy of the law and to oversee e-commerce practices.

The Revenue Administration is also set on providing alternatives for tax assessment for purchases made via credit cards on overseas online portals. In addition, the administration also works on the feasibility of obliging the tax assessment to be made via banking institutions in the event of online purchases via credit card.

According to the authorities from the Revenue Administration, trade is the main cause of tax losses and have determined online shopping portals like Gittigidiyor.com to conduct all sales transactions through banks. Moreover, purchases from abroad will also be taxed. In the meantime, purchases made online from abroad with credit card payments will also be monitored in terms of the limits determined by customs regulations. According to the draft, those who exceed the EUR 150 limit allowed by the customs tax will be determined preparatory to legal action.

The law is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.


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Keywords: Turkey, Finance Ministry, Revenue Administration, Industry and Trade Ministry, Gittigidiyor.com
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