Muğla Mayor: There’s a Huge Gap Between Income and Expenditure, Tourism Tax is Essential
Muğla Metropolitan Mayor Ahmet Aras raised the issue of budget problems in tourism cities at the General Assembly of the Provincial Bank. At the General Assembly of the Provincial Bank, discussions focused on local governments’ infrastructure investments, urban transformation projects, and financing needs.
During the meeting, Mayor Ahmet Aras highlighted the financial inequalities faced by tourism regions, particularly stressing the drastic changes in population between the summer and winter months. He explained that this situation created significant imbalance in the municipal budgets.
“There’s a Huge Gap Between Income and Expenditure”
Aras addressed the insufficiency of funds from the central budget and the Provincial Bank, stating: “Provinces like Antalya, Muğla, and Aydın are required to provide services for a population that is many times larger during the summer months. However, the funds we receive from the central budget fall far short of covering this burden. Especially during the tourism season, our expenditures reach three to five times our income. This is not sustainable. New solutions are needed to eliminate the imbalance between income and expenditure. We urgently need to work on models like city taxes or tourism taxes.”
“Tourism Tax is Essential”
Mayor Aras pointed out that the tourism tax model used in various cities around the world could also be suitable for Turkey. He made the following remarks: “In cities like Brussels, there’s a system where tourists pay a tax based on the number of nights they stay, and the revenue goes to the municipality. These taxes are primarily used for infrastructure services, and if there’s no immediate need, they are used for cultural, artistic, and promotional activities. A similar arrangement could be implemented in our country as well. Tourism cities are struggling to bear this burden with their own resources.”
Mayor Aras also reminded that legal regulations were being prepared to address this issue.
