They sell taxes, not cars

As a child, I dreamed of owning a Şahin. Back then, a car wasn't a luxury; it was a hope that life would become easier. Thirty years have passed, but that dream remains elusive for many families. Car prices in Türkiye are now determined not only by production costs but also by the government's appetite for taxes.

If a vehicle's base price is one lira, it can reach up to six lira when Special Consumption Tax (SCT) and VAT are added. The government first collects the SCT and then adds VAT on top of that. In other words, tax generates tax on top of tax. Ultimately, a vehicle is sold to consumers for five times its original price. This system, implemented by the government under the guise of "luxury consumption," actually alienates the middle class from the right to own a vehicle.

The result of this burden is that 30-40-year-old vehicles still circulate on Anatolian roads. Those old, tinny cars are neither suited to dual carriageways nor to today's speeds. When an accident occurs, they split in two or three. A father drives his children to school in his car, praying with every brake. Aunt Ayşe, steering on a village road, says "God forbid" at every turn. Buying a safe, new car is no longer theirs; it's only for the upper-income classes.

People are seeking solutions through illegal means. Methods like importing vehicles from Georgia, driving them here for a while, and then returning them have become almost routine. Because buying a legal vehicle is simply not possible. This isn't just a tax problem; it's a regulatory problem that's driving people to despair.

Someone working minimum wage in Georgia or Bulgaria can afford vehicles even our wealthy counterparts would struggle to afford. A car you can buy for 300-500 euros in Europe can't even afford tires in Türkiye. While a European with the same income can afford a safe and modern vehicle, Turkish citizens are still confined to the dreams of the past.

Even TOGG, which the government promoted as a symbol of "local and national pride," has become a multi-million dollar vehicle, thanks to the taxes. A vehicle supposedly built for the public is now unavailable to the public. If the government collects this much Special Consumption Tax, it should at least make public transportation modern, comfortable, and accessible in exchange for this cost. But there is neither accessible public transportation nor affordable private transportation.

Owning a car in Türkiye today has become a symbol of impossibility, rather than a necessity. People are crushed by tax burdens and deprived of the right to safe transportation. While accident statistics note that the car was old, no one asks: Why couldn't that person afford a new car?

The issue isn't just about cars anymore; it's about quality of life. The government isn't just collecting taxes from citizens; it's also collecting their hope. Because in this country, not only driving a car, but even living decently is becoming a luxury.