In Izmir there was a strong earthquake last week, in which according to Turkish media nearly 100 people died and about 1000 others were injured. In each case after the regular earthquakes in Turkey the so-called earthquake tax is again in discussion. The "earthquake tax" is originally called "special communication tax" and raises the costs of cell phone calls, radio and television programs. It was originally raised in 1999 to repair the damage caused by the Marmara earthquake, and has been continuously expanded since 2003. According to the Ministry of Finance, the tax has raised the equivalent of USD 36.9 billion in the past 20 years.
Even opposition parties in the Turkish parliament claim that the money was by no means used to decrease the loss of life in earthquakes. Thus, the consequences of a natural disaster indirectly flush huge sums of money into the state coffers. Every earthquake serves as a pretext to consolidate and increase this tax and to rob the people.
