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The “BUSINESS WORLD MEETING” meeting organized by the Yalova Chamber of Commerce and Industry (YTSO) was attended by Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek, Yalova Governor Dr. Hülya Kaya, AK Party Provincial Chairman Umut Güçlü, YTSO Board of Directors Chairman Cemil Demiryürek, Assembly Chairman Muhammet Sarıoğlu, Board of Directors and Assembly Members and many business people.

Delivering the opening speech of the meeting, YTSO Board of Directors Chairman Cemil Demiryürek emphasized that important steps should be taken in order to make Yalova’s economic growth sustainable.

Demiryürek said, “We have gathered here today to present the demands and expectations of our city’s business world to our Minister and to discuss how we can draw a road map to carry Yalova further.”

Stating that Yalova is a city with significant potential in terms of health, thermal tourism, industry and agriculture, Demiryürek stated that it has an economy that grows every day with its geographical location, developing infrastructure and young population. Demiryürek stated that the growth and development that Yalova has shown in recent years is an example for all of Turkey.

Emphasizing that the members operating in Yalova have achieved great success especially in shipyards, organized industrial zones, chemical, textile, food, construction and machinery sectors, Demiryürek said, “Yalova has become one of the most important industrial zones of Turkey. The industrial facilities in Yalova make significant contributions to the country's economy by making production based on high technology.” He also noted that Yalova's exports have increased year by year and that the city has made its name known in global markets.

Demiryürek stated that Yalova, which also produces important values ​​in agricultural production, provides high productivity in fruits such as kiwi and aronia with geographical indications, and that Yalova continues to be the leader in the sector in the production of indoor and outdoor ornamental plants. However, he added that the VAT rate applied to the ornamental plants sector should be reduced as in agricultural products.

Demiryürek, who touched upon the importance of strengthening incentives to meet the increasing demand in the Organized Industrial Zones and shipyards in Yalova, stated that approximately 30 percent of Turkish Ship and Yacht exports are made from Yalova. Demiryürek expressed that the financial difficulties faced by industrialists should be alleviated, energy costs should be reduced and support for innovation-based projects should be increased. He also stated that commercial credit restrictions should be relaxed.

Demiryürek, who said that sectoral incentives should be developed to increase Yalova's production capacity, stated that practices such as compulsory sale of a certain percentage of the export price and rediscount penalty for companies receiving foreign currency should be abolished. He also emphasized that the ban on making foreign currency and foreign currency-indexed contracts should be completely abolished.

Demiryürek, who stated that the tax system is focused on collecting more taxes from registered companies, stated that a system should be created that should be supported against unregistered transactions. He also said that the declaration procedure should be introduced in income tax and that expenses such as law, health and education should be allowed to be recorded as expenses.

Stating that more income could be obtained by introducing a VAT refund system, Demiryürek said that lawsuit and enforcement fees should be reduced by 50 percent. He mentioned that the regulations in inflation accounting should be applied to all fixed investments.

Reminding that large organizations operating in Yalova operate as branches here despite their headquarters being in other provinces, Demiryürek emphasized that tax payments should be made to the provinces where they operate.

Stating that the difficulties experienced by Yalova business people regarding visas negatively affect the trade volume, Demiryürek said that they expect support from Minister Şimşek in this regard.

Finally, Demiryürek stated that reducing inflation is the most important target in the announced medium-term program, and stated that the tight monetary policy and other measures implemented in the fight against inflation continue strongly. He reiterated his belief that Yalova will become a stronger economic actor not only in Turkey but also worldwide with the correct policies implemented by the Ministry.

Demiryürek concluded his speech by expressing his belief that they will work together to build Yalova's future in a brighter, stronger and more competitive way, and wished a brighter future for the Yalova business world.