By ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ (GREEK) TÜRKÇE (TURKISH)
If ‘unregistered economic practices’ were to be prevented in the northern part of Cyprus, we would neither be dependent on anyone nor would we set our eyes on people’s salaries or their savings.
We are unable to prevent the off-the-book [practices] because such a move requires political will, courage and determination.
And let it not be forgotten, those who are part of the problem are also unable to find a solution.
***
For some reason, whenever someone speaks of “unregistered economy”, the business community, investors and bosses come to mind. Whereas an important majority of these people work in an ‘institutional’ manner.
Otherwise, they would go bankrupt!
In fact take a look at social responsibility projects, please!
All of the schools, rehabilitation centres, and sports facilities constructed over the past 50 years have been built by people from the business world…
Some will say “They don’t pay taxes”…
Fine, but the “bosses” at the Tax Department aren’t doing their job!
Demand those taxes…
Collect it!
Get the financial police to do their work…
***
Of course, there is a need for planning, legislation and most important designing the budget in the best way possible for taxes collected to return to us in the form of services and infrastructure.
If all of the taxes will be used for partisan hiring, promotions, political appointments or granting of favours, concessions and paying salaries… If they’re not going be to used for [upgrading] health and education infrastructure, building roads, digital transformation and incentives for creating jobs or preventing poverty then there is no point…
***
Experts have calculated again and again: We can stand on our own feet by just preventing the “unregistered economy” in the northern part of Cyprus.
Only then will politics become more honourable.
And we wouldn’t have to “beg” anyone to get by…
***
Where do we see “off-the-book practices” the most?
I shared the discussions held with tax experts in the past.
“Rents” for example…
Most of them are unregistered…
And it is not just [houses rented to] students…
Particularly flats and villas which are rented out on a daily basis or for limited periods of time…
Properties sold in the “build and sell” sector [Translators note: The construction and sale of mass housing estates by contractors], particularly to foreigners through trust agreements with lawyers constitute a significant amount of unregistered transactions.
It’s known that there is one contractor who has sold more than 10,000 properties but has almost never applied to the land registry office.
“They carry out sales to foreigners through special contracts, which allow them to continue purchasing properties with tax money they should be paying to the state.”
***
The Tax Department is not too troubled with large businesses in terms of tax evasion.
They say, “Companies, particularly in the import sector, have no chance of tax evasion, they are caught from the very start.”
Well, then who is evading tax?
“There is a significant off-the-books situation concerning private tutors and doctors. And many of them don’t accept credit cards…”
This is a seriously punishable offence in Europe!
I’m talking with a senior colleague…
“Whenever I go to the state hospital, whenever I seek treatment for my illness, I end up in the private clinic of a doctor,” he complains. This is the fashion lately:
“You can have this surgery in the hospital but that would require more invasive surgery, you could get a non or less invasive procedure done outside of the state hospital.”
There is a cost (!)
The solution?
“It could be compulsory to carry out all payment transactions via credit card or an e-receipt system could be operated by the Finance Ministry.”
And also…
We need to prevent those who accept operating in the public sector and who receive salaries from public revenues from making money through the private sector. It’s both unregistered and illegal…
And to top it all, it leads to “inequality”…
[Photo insert: Photograph of a pitch-dark road in northern Cyprus]
Are we doomed to dark roads?
I’m not expecting all the highways to be “bright as day”.
I’ve visited many countries, and I’ve seen that not all roads are illuminated.
Particularly on the inter-city roads…
There is lighting at junctions, roundabouts and zebra crossings.
But…
All roads – particularly inter-city highways – are clearly marked with lines on the sides and in the middle. There are also reflectors called “cats eyes”…
Those lines and reflectors guide you, lead you and delineate the lanes.
This half island has lights on the roads, but they’re not working, the lines can’t be seen and there are no reflectors.
This has to do with road safety…
With the safety of lives…
There are zebra crossings in many of the town centres but no lighting.
You can’t see!
People cross roads and you only notice them at the last minute.
Do we need to have “salary cuts” to address this issue?
Or do we need to seize [people’s] savings?
You collect taxes for it every year…
And you increase the fees!
And you impose penalties [for late payments]!
Are we condemned to drive on dark roads?
Dilapidation, backwardness and primitiveness are at their peak, we are experiencing days when humanity and infrastructure have hit rock bottom…
What could E. Tatar have told the journalists in the UK?
- How he was forcefully elected…
- How Turkish Cypriots have been further isolated from the international community…
- How this half island has eroded with the Turkish Lira…
- Why the “TRNC” will not be recognised…
- How the plan to sideline Turkish Cypriots is working…
- How no steps are taken without consulting the [Turkish] embassy…
- Education in tents, the Külliye [Translator’s note: presidential and parliamentary complex pledged by the Turkish government on behalf of the Turkish Cypriot leadership], how he fell while playing football with children at the school grounds…
- How he implemented the instructions to “appoint Tahsin Ertuğruloğlu as a minister”…
- Other [Please specify].
Source: IT WOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH IF WE JUST PREVENTED THE ‘OFF-THE-BOOK’ PRACTICES
