Sadıkoğlu: “We are expecting the extension of the force majeure period.”

Oğuzhan Ata Sadıkoğlu, the Chairman of the Board of the Malatya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MTSO), presented a comprehensive file to Abdullah Erdem Cantimur, the Deputy Minister of Treasury and Finance, who came to Malatya for a series of meetings, conveying the request of the Malatya business community for an extension of the force majeure period.

In a post on his social media account, President Sadıkoğlu shared that he attended the Provincial Economic Consultation Meeting organized with the participation of Deputy Minister of Treasury and Finance Abdullah Erdem Cantimur. He stated, “We conveyed to Deputy Minister of Treasury and Finance Abdullah Erdem Cantimur all the issues and expectations of our business people, especially the extension of the Force Majeure period that we wish to prolong until workplaces are fully delivered and commercial life returns to normal, through the comprehensive file we prepared. We hope that our meeting will meet the expectations of Malatya and our earthquake-affected provinces and lead to positive results.”

President Sadıkoğlu, who has been making serious efforts for a long time to extend the force majeure period, recently read a joint press release from Malatya NGOs, tradesmen’s chambers, and professional chambers, which had nearly 250 participants. In the statement, it was noted, “The Force Majeure application, which postpones all kinds of tax, penalty, and late interest payment deadlines, as well as SGK and BAĞKUR premium payments, will end on 31.08.2024. No business in our cities that have experienced major earthquakes has the capacity to pay accumulated tax and premium debts for the past 19 months. We demand the extension of the Force Majeure period until businesses are fully delivered and commercial life returns to normal. After the extension, we want a restructuring that allows accumulated debts to be paid interest-free over 48 months. If there is no extension, we request that our accumulated tax, SGK, and BAĞKUR premium debts be erased with a one-time tax amnesty. Furthermore, hundreds of financial advisors in our city do not have working offices and staff under healthy conditions. In such an environment, the end of the force majeure period will not allow for the execution of tax transactions.”