Boat flag issue about to be solved

An important meeting was held at Istanbul's Ataköy Marina on Aug. 25. It was a benchmark in the history of Turkish amateur seamanship. Among the participants were Faruk Okuyucu from the Chamber of Shipping, Cemalettin Selvi and Oktay Kılıç from the ministry and doyens of amateur shipping Tanıl Tuncel and Teoman Arsay. The topic was the flag issue that has been obstructing our navigation sector for years. 

As a matter of fact, the shipping world was awaiting that piece of news on the issue from the Turkish parliament two months ago. But the relevant clauses were excluded from the omnibus bill because a better and a more thorough solution was sought. Now, a new and essential preparation is underway. 

The first benchmark in the history of amateur shipping was in 2002 when the bureaucratic agony of completing a "transit log" document, which was obligatory for Turkish-flagged boats, was lifted.

Today, those who buy a boat and want to have a Turkish flag have to pay 27 percent of the purchase price as tax. This is an enormous figure. For this reason, the majority of boat owners prefer foreign flags.  

For this reason, amateur yachting, which is a very important income channel for Turkey's tourism, is always in this debate. 

Because there is a stay limit for foreign-flagged boats, most boat owners prefer Greek marinas.  

The meeting at Ataköy Marina was important for the solution of this gangrened issue. 

The bullet points of the leading views are as such: 

As in the draft bill that was withdrawn, foreign-flagged boats belonging to Turkish citizens will be able to transfer to Turkish flags for one time only without any questions asked or tax. 

The Special Consumer Tax (ÖTV) or the Added Value...