Turkey: The first greenhouse gas regulation came into force in Turkey

Carbon tax is an environmental tax implemented with the aim of preventing global climate change, aiming to evaluate the greenhouse gas emissions released as an economic cost element  and to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Each country has a different method of calculating and collecting this tax. These collected taxes are used to support green energy investments, such as, renewable energy projects, efficient energy projects.

The European Union has an important role  for leading the member countries in terms of the carbon tax. The measures taken correspond to high amount of tax and the high taxes motivates the entities to invest on sustainable solutions. There are member countries  applying the carbon tax more than 25 years and prove the possibility of reducing the greenhouse gas emissions significantly through the measures taken. Additionally, Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, New  Zealand, India are other examples who apply the carbon tax.    

In Turkey, there wasn’t any tax aiming to decrease the usage of fossil fuels so far; recently a step was taken with the new port regulation.

The details of the regulation:

The Parliament has approved the Law on Amendments of The Turkish Civil Aviation Law, Some Laws and The Decision  Numbered 655 on the 9th of July.

“The amounts collected from ship owners, calculated within the scope of this article, as a response to the greenhouse  gas emissions released by commercial ships arriving at or leaving our ports for the purpose of cargo or passenger handling, are recorded as special  income in the table marked (B) of the general budget.

The fees to be charged are determined  based on the verified greenhouse gas emissions and the current carbon price of the European Union Emission Trading System, and this fee is paid each year as the total price of the previous year until the end of September of the following year.

The income equivalent amounts estimated as special income in the table marked (B) of the general budget are foreseen as special appropriations to the budget of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure in order to support research, development, transformation and new construction activities for green maritime.

The President is authorized to add an appropriation in return for income realizations exceeding the appropriation amount and to transfer the portions of the appropriation recorded amounts that are not spent within the year to the following year's budget.

Procedures and principles regarding the use of special income and appropriations are determined by the President. The type of ships to be included in the scope of application, their voyage region, tonnage, emission fee rates to be charged from the ships, and the procedures and principles regarding the monitoring, reporting and verification of emissions are determined by the regulation to be issued by  the President.”

Reference/ Citation

Official gazette 9^th July 2024

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