ANKARA: The Council of Minister has issued a Decree (2015/7713; “Decree”) which introduces additional customs duties for certain goods. However, the additional customs duties arguably run contrary to provisions of the Turkish Constitution, European Union Customs Zone requirements, and a World Trade Organization agreement about Information Technology.
Since the Decree’s legality is questionable, parties which must pay additional custom duties based on the Decree’s requirements should consider challenging these taxes to the relevant administration and possibly before the tax courts.
The Decree was published in Official Gazette number 29379 and entered into force on 7 June 2015.