Audit of the Court of Accounts of tourism promotion expenses

The Constitutional Court annulled the government’s arbitrary appointments and expenses, without being subject to the supervision of the Court of Accounts, through the institutions it has recently created. The government, which was to implement its decision, had to present to the Turkish Grand National Assembly a bill that would open the expenses of the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, which has been spending out of control for about 4 years, to the audit of the Court of Accounts. According to the proposal, the accuracy of the expenditures to be made by the Agency will now be audited not only by independent auditing companies but also by the Court of Accounts and will be sent to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in a report.

THERE WAS NO INSPECTION FOR 4 YEARS

The draft law on housing rental for tourist purposes and amendments to some laws, presented to the Turkish Grand National Assembly by AKP parliamentarians, also included critical articles on the appointment and supervision of the Agency. The Agency, which began its activities in 2019, has since carried out expenses without auditing by the Court of Auditors. However, in response to the objection, the Constitutional Court ruled that an institution that uses public resources cannot be excluded from the audit of the Court of Auditors.

INCREDIBLE EXPRESSIONS

The current law includes a provision according to which the Agency will be audited only by independent auditing companies and the Court of Auditors may only examine the companies’ reports. According to the new proposed law, the Court of Auditors will examine the independent audit reports together with the Agency’s control systems, methods and processes in terms of reliability and accuracy of the Agency’s financial reports and tables, and send them to the Parliament. It should also be noted that the proposal included vague statements about the authority of the Court of Auditors.

Fine of 100,000 lira for those who rent without permission

Those who rent their homes for tourist purposes without obtaining a permit will receive an administrative fine of 100,000 lira for each residence. Those who obtain the permit within 15 days of paying the fine will continue to rent. Those who continue to rent without obtaining permission during this period will be fined 500 thousand lire. Another 15 days will be given for permission. Tenants who rent their house to someone else will be fined 100,000 lire for each house.

Renting to tourists is prohibited unless the neighbor gives permission

The proposal requires permission to rent houses for tourism purposes for up to 100 days. To rent homes to tourists, permission will first be obtained from the Ministry of Tourism and then a rental contract for tourist purposes will be drawn up. However, before applying for a permit, it is necessary to obtain the approval of all neighbors in the apartment. If even a neighbor does not approve, the rental will not be possible. Those who want to rent more than 5 residences in the same building will receive a business license. A permit will not be required for rentals made for more than 100 consecutive days.