Reaction to ‘commission’ at TÜVTÜRK

The President of the Consumers’ Association, Mahmut Şahin, reacted to the commission taken by the sole authorized and responsible organization in Turkey for periodic vehicle inspections, TÜVTÜRK, for credit card usage, stating, ‘If they are charging a service fee of 77 TL, they also take 15 TL as VAT and make us pay the tax.’ The President of the Consumers’ Association, Mahmut Şahin, made a statement in front of the TÜVTÜRK Station in Güneşli Neighborhood in Kayseri, expressing his reaction to the 77 TL commission charged under the name of ‘payment institution service fee’ for credit card transactions. Şahin emphasized that in Turkey, they are facing a single authorized private legal entity, where every vehicle owner comes and gets their vehicles inspected here. In a process that lasts at most half an hour, payments of thousands of liras are made. There is a significant profit involved here. The state also gains revenue from this. However, they are not content with that income and engage in an unlawful act. An entity with a legal personality and operating under the fees determined by the state is acting unlawfully and openly. People make payments here, but not everyone has cash; they pay with credit cards. They want to make a single payment with a credit card, not installments. However, a commission is being charged for this. They do not call it a commission, they call it a ‘payment institution service fee.’ Invent, keep inventing. What is a payment institution service fee? Does our legislation have a place for this? No, it doesn’t. But I will take some money, one way or another, I will take it, I will call it something, and legally I won’t face any problem. We have the Law on Banks and Credit Cards numbered 5465. Its 17th article clearly states, ‘No one, including TÜVTÜRK, can demand an additional fee for transactions made with a credit card.’ However, they are taking this additional fee under the pretext of a ‘payment institution service fee.’ Now there is no justification for this, and the state does not question this; ‘What is this payment institution service fee, buddy? Come and explain this to me. I couldn’t find it. Where did you come up with this?’ The Ministry of Trade has the authority in this matter and can take the necessary sanctions. The Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BDDK) also has serious sanctions related to this.’