Türkiye to name tax defaulters – following global trend?

Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek announced ongoing measures to enhance fairness in taxation, stating that they plan to disclose the names of tax defaulters in Türkiye. These names will be made public through each tax office.

“We are providing taxpayers until the end of September to avoid having their names included on these lists,” Simsek remarked.

Minister Simsek highlighted that fighting tax evasion and ensuring justice and efficiency in the tax system are key priorities in the government’s economic program.

As part of these efforts, Simsek revealed that taxpayer information will be published in all tax offices across Türkiye from Oct. 15 to 31. Following this, between Nov. 1 and 15, the lists will be made available on the Revenue Administration’s official website.

Examples around world

While this issue continues to be a subject of debate in Türkiye, this approach to public disclosure has precedents in other countries.

The U.K. and Ireland are among the leading examples where such lists are published. Additionally, countries like India, Spain, and Portugal have implemented similar practices.

Ireland and India share lists of tax defaulters

In the U.K., the official website regularly features a “Current list of deliberate tax defaulters,” highlighting individuals and entities that evade taxes.

Similarly, Ireland’s Revenue website also publishes a comparable list. Meanwhile, according to a report in The Irish Times in the first quarter of 2024, Ireland collected over 4 million euros ($4.43 million) from settlements with 11 tax defaulters, including four settlements that each exceeded 500,000 euros.

In India, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the governing body responsible for civic amenities and some infrastructure assets, has also released a list featuring the names of 50 individuals on its official site.