25.12.2014
TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, in his speech at the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry Stars of the Economy Record Taxpayers Award Ceremony, addressed the tax office director, stating that investors need to be protected.
Hisarcıklıoğlu, in an example told how FIFA instructed referees to be
mindful of star players as they are the ones filling up the stadiums, that,
“They are the ones who glorify football. And so, those who glorify Turkey’s
economy are here today. You must protect and preserve them. Don’t scare us with
envelopes.”
- “I look to Turkey’s future with
hope”
Stating that an export volume of 160 billion USD has been achieved, with
an emphasis on industrial goods, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “As of last year, there’s
no country in the world we don’t export to. This is your accomplishment. You’ve
made it so that, in my lifetime, in just 30 years we’ve become an industrial
giant between Italy and China. We are number one in industry in the world;
number two in construction and transportation. My generation took this country
from the 27th economy in the world to be the 17th.”
Stating that their goal is to reach 25,000 USD national per capita
income, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “In the last 6 years, we have been stuck at 6,000
USD. The reason for that is our negligence of structural reforms. We’re stuck
fast at 10,000 USD. Our goal is to reach 25,000 USD national per capita income.
They way to achieve that is through structural reforms. Turkey must return to
its original agenda. The true agenda is structural reforms in the economy.
Economy can never be our second priority. Economy is imperative. We want only
one thing: We don’t want money, we just want on thing. There are 16 countries
ahead of us. We want to trade in whatever conditions these 16 countries are
trading in. We can do this. The only condition is that our unity and solidarity
is preserved.”
Also present during the Award Ceremony were Trabzon Governor Abdil Celil
Öz, Trabzon Greater Municipality Director Orhan Fevzi Gümrükçüoglu, TOBB Board
Vice Chair Halim Mete, BALO Inc. Board Vice Chair Harun Karacan, Trabzon Chamber
of Commerce and Industry Chairman Suat Hacisalihoğlu, Trabzon Council Speaker Şadan
Eren, Trabzon Commodity Exchange President Şükrü Güngör Köleoğlu, Trabzon Republic
Attorney General Hayreddin Akçıl and Trabzon Tax Office Director Ayhan Yaman.