Last-minute SCT regulations for passenger cars and motorcycles intended for carrying people were added to the omnibus bill adopted by the General Assembly of the Turkish Parliament and enacted into law. According to the amendment to the Special Consumption Tax Law (SCT), the authority to differentiate rates now also applies based on the 'traction system of vehicles'. Additionally, a minimum fixed tax application was introduced for certain vehicle groups.
Under the regulation, if the proportional SCT amount calculated within the specified criteria falls below the minimum fixed tax amount, a floor tax will be triggered. Accordingly, the minimum fixed SCT cannot be less than 30,000 TL for electric motorcycles and 100,000 TL for passenger cars. However, an 'electric motor power limit of 4 kW' was set for motorcycles falling under this scope.
Motorcycles with an electric motor power below 4 kW will not be affected by the regulation. The President may increase the set minimum fixed tax amounts up to tenfold or reduce them to zero. In the automotive sector, this change is interpreted as 'the establishment of this legal infrastructure strengthens the possibility that an additional tax bracket may be introduced in the future, particularly for luxury and high-performance four-wheel-drive models.'
[It is interpreted that, through a future Presidential Decree, it is now legally possible to assign a higher SCT rate to the 4x4 version of two cars with the same engine displacement and a lower rate to the 4x2 (front- or rear-wheel drive) version.) NUCLEAR EXEMPTION: The Highway Traffic Law will be amended.
Accordingly, those obtaining a driver's license for the first time, as well as those reapplying because their previous license was revoked, will be considered provisional drivers for a period of two years. If during this period the penalty point threshold of 75 is exceeded, or if it is determined that the vehicle was driven with a blood alcohol level above 0.20 promil regardless of vehicle type, or if any of the provisions regarding drifting, lane changing, turning rules, giving right of way to pedestrians, and the obligation for drivers and passengers to use protective systems are violated three times, the provisional driver's license will be revoked. Investments in nuclear power plants will be encouraged.
Stamp duty exemption will be provided for documents entered into by legal entities that have obtained a preliminary license and/or license to engage in electricity generation from nuclear power plants.
The exemption will cover all transactions of the said companies, including administrative, goods and services procurement exclusively related to nuclear power plant investments and investment credit transactions, as well as documents drawn up between public and private law legal entities for all their transactions.
