TESK General President Palandöken: “Banks also need to step up and take responsibility.”

TESK General President Bendevi Palandöken, drawing attention to the heavy burden of commission fees that banks impose on citizens and tradespeople, said, “The measures regarding the recording of the economy under the decision of the Ministry of Finance are good. However, there is a problem with compliance from both the taxpayer and the citizens. Banks also need to take responsibility.”

“Fees are deducted for every transaction made at the branch, ATM, and electronically”

Stating that the economic difficulties in the market are felt by all citizens, Bendevi Palandöken, the General President of the Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen (TESK), said, “With the increasing use of cards and digitalization, citizens who expect a decrease in banking costs are facing different expenses every day. Fees are deducted for every transaction made at the branch, ATM, and electronically. Although there is an effort to encourage cashless transactions in the digital environment, service fees are also charged for these transactions. Similarly, for money transfers, EFTs, and internet banking, whatever you do, there are different fees during working hours and outside of working hours. There needs to be such a standard that citizens should know. When citizens withdraw their money, they face difficulties such as not being able to withdraw over a certain limit of 80-100 lira, depending on the amount.”

“Limits need to be redefined”

Palandöken expressed that limits need to be set, stating, “In the registered economy, this issue will be a bit more challenging. Because you will have to deposit it through the bank since you cannot pay in cash while transferring that money. Therefore, limits need to be set. It is unfair to charge these expenses when a citizen deposits money through the bank and sends it to another branch of the same bank. So what needs to be done is to provide support to citizens, not burden them. Citizens need to be alerted about these issues. When you receive your pension, the same should apply when you deposit and withdraw money in your daily life; there shouldn’t be different fees when bringing money from another branch to your account. Therefore, whether you take a taxi to go to that branch or use public transportation, it might not cost as much, but unfortunately, on one hand, you are saying that your business should be more practical and easier, and on the other hand, a burden is added on top of that. Commissions need to be abolished. At least there should be no charges above a certain limit. Now, when this issue is set at 7,000 lira, people will face significant difficulties when using it for installment payments or other alternative expenses. This needs to be resolved as soon as possible so that citizens do not suffer from this issue.”