Soner Cagaptay, a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who has become one of the Turkish government's most strident critics, frequently accusing it of turning the clock on Turkey's secularization process, is now attacking its liquor policy.
According to Cagaptay, the Islamic-rooted and socially conservative government of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is systematically working to turn Turkey off to booze. How is it doing that? By making it more expensive and harder to buy alcohol, Cagaptay argues. From his piece:
Since the Justice and Development Party, or AKP, rose to power in Turkey in 2002, special taxes on alcohol have increased dramatically, making a glass of wine or beer one of the most expensive in Europe, and for that purpose anywhere in the world.The AKP leadership is known for their aversion to alcohol. Yet, the Turkish people are divided on this issue, with some who believe that drinking alcohol is a sin according to Islam, while some believe it is not. While the debate continues, the AKP is implementing policies to make alcohol exorbitantly expensive and therefore out of reach for many Turks....
.... In June 2002, Turkey adopted a new taxation regime called the Special Consumption Tax (SCT). Prior to this, Turks had been paying only an 18 percent value-added tax on alcoholic beverages. After the AKP came to power, the SCT was set around 48 percent of the cost of the beverage. Since then, this rate has skyrocketed. As the AKP established itself in power, the SCT rose, until reaching 63 percent in 2009. The AKP came under fire for this policy, and in 2010, SCT on some alcoholic beverages, such as wine, was eliminated. Yet at the same time, lump sum (maktu) taxes on wine were raised, compensating for the elimination of SCT. The lump sum taxes on a bottle of wine used to be 1.30 Turkish Liras (TL), whereas in 2010, this became 1.50 TL. This appears to be a sneakier way for the government to stick to their agenda of making alcohol exorbitantly expensive.
Beer has been a second target of the AKP’s cultural war against alcohol. Between 2002, when the AKP came to power, and 2009, taxes on beer increased a shocking 737 percent, with an additional 45 percent increase between 2009 and 2010.
Raki, Turkey’s national drink, has been the third target of large tax hikes. Raki is the drink of choice with Turkish meals, especially for middle and lower class Turks. In 2002, the retail price for a bottle of raki was 9.15 TL. Today the same bottle costs around 35 TL. In 8 years, the price of Turkey’s national drink nearly quadrupled.
You can read the full piece here.
Cagaptay sees this increased taxation as an attempt at social engineering, although what's missing from the piece is any data about current alcohol consumption rates in Turkey. Anecdotal evidence gathered during late night walks in Istanbul would indicate that, at least in this city, the booze continues to flow. Clearly, more "field research" is in order.
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