ISTANBUL — Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday slashed sales tax on dairy products, fruit, vegetables and other
basic food items from 8 percent to 1 percent as inflation surges to a near
20-year high.
اضافة اعلان
The rising cost of living has become a major
source of public discontent in Turkey, where it is expected to feature
prominently in next year's presidential election.
Inflation hit 48.69 percent in January, the
highest level since Erdogan's Islamic-rooted party stormed to power two decades
ago.
Erdogan said the fall in VAT would apply to
a host of products, including cooking oil and dried fruit.
"All these reductions will help in our
fight against inflation," he said.
Protests are planned across
Turkey this
weekend over falling purchasing power.
Last month, Erdogan changed the head of the
state statistics agency Tuik for the fourth time since 2019.
Turkish media reported that he was unhappy
with the inflation figures it published.
The opposition and some economists believe
that the official figures grossly underestimate the reality.
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