Turkey s Planned Alcohol Deposit Another Nail in the Coffin , Small Producers Say usnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from usnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
It took 15 years for Mustafa Camlica to earn international recognition for his wines, but he and many other small and medium sized Turkish producers fear a planned new financial burden could destroy livelihoods in a sector already facing daunting hurdles. Under the rule of President Tayyip Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AK Party for 21 years, alcoholic drinks makers in Turkey have faced an increasingly onerous tax burden and other restrictions, leaving the multi-billion dollar market stagnant. Now small winemakers and breweries fear a planned financial collateral requirement will make it even harder for them to survive in the tough local market, and frustrating efforts to develop their unfulfilled export potential.
Turkey's Agriculture Ministry plans to require alcohol producers to deposit 5 million to 50 million lira ($1.7 million) collateral to cover tax or administrative fines that they may face in the future. Small producers have stated that the new deposit scheme would make them vanish against the big producers.