Turkish industrialists want reforms from new cabinet

Turkey's new government should accelerate structural reforms, particularly in taxes and the judicial system, as well as support minimum wage payments, Turkish industrialists have said.

The Istanbul Chamber of Industry (?SO) will soon present its expectations from the new government, but ?SO President Erdal Bahç?van said during a closed meeting on Nov. 25 that they would not share the whole document with media outlets. 

According to information obtained from ?SO Management Assembly members, the association will ask for a number of reforms in the tax and judicial systems as well as support for the expected new minimum wage system. Industrialists will also ask for some regulations regarding education, foreign trade, the bureaucracy, employment, incentives, energy prices and the banking system. 

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) vowed to increase the minimum wage from 1,000 to 1,300 Turkish Liras during campaigning for the Nov. 1 election. The new government also vowed to propose the idea to the Minimum Wage Commission in its launch of a new program on Nov. 26. 

"First of all, industrialists want tax reform. For instance, there are huge differences in the taxes paid by self-employed lawyers or doctors and the taxes paid by industrialists. This inequality needs to be overcome," a ?SO member told Reuters. 

"Another important issue for us is about the expected rise in the minimum wage, which may harm our competitiveness. We have discussed our resolution recommendations for this issue. We want the distribution of this burden between us and the state [to be fair] or for it to only be handled by the state," the member said. 

The third major issue concerns reforms in the judicial system, the member noted, adding that...