TR Economy & Updates

[Yasar_TR]

As @ Sanchez has already pointed out, both Bosporus Bridge and FSM bridge had generated billions of dollars and paid themselves off years ago.
They are still generating huge amounts of cash for the Turkish State Treasury.

To sell the operation rights to a foreign entity now means, quick cash injection in to state coffers and possibility of creating the likely opportunity for cream-skimming for some elite bureaucrats. An unnecessary and a damaging move for the taxpayers.

Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge (Third Bosphorus Bridge) since it’s opening in 2016, has not paid for itself. The bridge has consistently failed to meet its daily traffic volume guarantees, resulting in substantial, ongoing payments from the Turkish Treasury to the operating company, rather than generating enough revenue to pay for it’s own construction costs.

Also the Osman Gazi Bridge opened in 2016 too, has not paid for itself through user tolls either; instead, it remains a significant financial liability for the Turkish Treasury. Despite high usage, the government's guaranteed payments for low traffic volume to the operating consortium continue to cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

These two will turn in to another Yavuz Sultan Selim and Osmangazi Bridge case.
.

 

[Zafer]

Bridges have indirect benefits to the economy other than the direct revenue shares. Leasing the operation of the bridges is a finance model to allocate money for investment in other fields. Türkiye has a budget deficit of under 3% so it is actually not an urgent need but when you want to invest in new opportunities you want to resort to the best finance model which is like renting an asset you already have and getting the revenue money now instead of later.

opportunity for cream-skimming for some elite bureaucrats

Very unlikely.

 

[Sanchez]

Very unlikely.

It is literally law of the land.

 

[Zafer]

It is literally law of the land.

That's for a certain smaller part of the land not the whole.

 

[BalkanTurk90]

Holy Shit!
Erdogan wants to sell the Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridge and July 15 martyr's bridge bridge and many other toll highways and roads to private Western companies
This is bloody treason!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-05/turkey-said-to-hire-ey-for-landmark-bridge-privatization-deal

He can sell them to western companies but the bridge is still in Turkiye and the state like everywhere can do whatever they want , with 1 pencil sign can seizure all of it back and take all their money , Look what westers did with russians bussnesmans and their companies in EU . Freeze their money , and give it to Ukraine even if bussnesman was agaist the war it doesnt matter ...
- We aslo dont never forget , what goverments did to us during Covid 19 that didnt let us go outside , the power that in 1 million years from pharaohs to Hitler didnt have agaist their population and u talk about bridges !

 

[TR_123456]

He can sell them to western companies but the bridge is still in Turkiye and the state like everywhere can do whatever they want

No it cant,there are rules the state must abide by.
We are not(yet) a banana republic.

Look what westers did with russians bussnesmans and their companies in EU

Not comparable,different situation.

 

[Zafer]

No it cant,there are rules the state must abide by.
We are not(yet) a banana republic.

Sabiha Gökçen Airport is operated by Malaysians, are we a banana republic now?

 

[TR_123456]

Sabiha Gökçen Airport is operated by Malaysians, are we a banana republic now?

Ok now,read the post i answered to again but this time carefully and then come back.

 

[Zafer]

Ok now,read the post i answered to again but this time carefully and then come back.

We don't do whatever we want but we can, just like how India all of a sudden ended the contract of the Turkish company operating Indian airports after their so called "operation sindoor". Now they are suffering from airline collapse. And Netherlands nationalized a Chinese owned microelectronics company with no substantial reason. The US nationalized TikTok. Such things happen.

 

[Nilgiri]

So,you find it ok to sell vital infrastructure like bridges to private companies?

So,a bridge is nothing critical or important?


There is something significantly wrong with your way of thinking,both of you.

AKP/Erdogan admin have really damaged capital account of Turkiye.

If sukuk "soft" bond "strategy" top up was already being done and there are now sunk in costs/diminishing returns there.... then of course natural progression is to hard assets next.

Private sector of Turkiye (capital market side with them) can only do so much given turbulence inflicted there and margins are delicate in the end.

You will inevitably find whataboutism, misleading info, and bad equivalency assertion etc from those that are very ideologically wedded to current admin for whatever reason.

 

[dronie]

We don't do whatever we want but we can, just like how India all of a sudden ended the contract of the Turkish company operating Indian airports after their so called "operation sindoor". Now they are suffering from airline collapse. And Netherlands nationalized a Chinese owned microelectronics company with no substantial reason. The US nationalized TikTok. Such things happen.

Well this is called coping.An aviation industry that is on known as fastest expanding one on the globe and you think it will collapse because of some no name company gets ousted? Be realistic not delusional. Better take some loss than allow a Turkish company to work in such a critical area.

 

[AlperTunga]

People already paid for them for years.

People indeed paid for the bridges and roads. Now they need to pay for defence spending. This is an indirect way for this. Assuming of course the money obtained is not used for other less worthy (audis for government functionals?) purposes.

 

[AlperTunga]

So,you find it ok to sell vital infrastructure like bridges to private companies?

So,a bridge is nothing critical or important?


There is something significantly wrong with your way of thinking,both of you.

Bridge is important but you can sell its operation rights to a company. That does not mean that company can destroy it. You can also control its maintenance. And you will still protect it with AD systems. Also to bomb the bridge someone does not need to buy it, terrorists can do it without paying. So where is the danger here?

 

[AlperTunga]

Just to clarify my thinking a bit more. I am not discussing here economic benefits or costs of privatizing some suitable assets. My focus (government focus may be something else) is how can we quickly get substantial money directly or indirectly to cover our defense expenses in the next years.

 

[uçuyorum]

Just to clarify my thinking a bit more. I am not discussing here economic benefits or costs of privatizing some suitable assets. My focus (government focus may be something else) is how can we quickly get substantial money directly or indirectly to cover our defense expenses in the next years.

Reducing unnecessary expenses and government spending is one way rather than selling strategic national assets, privatizing of which will cripple every aspect of life and economy like main roads.

 

[Sanchez]

Assuming of course the money obtained is not used for other less worthy (audis for government functionals?) purposes.

Of course it is. Government have an election to win in 2029 at the latest. Lead up to the 2023 election was a dagger in the heart of the economy.

Defence sector is not huge, Turkey spends less than 3% of its GDP on defence.

 

[Lool]

Of course it is. Government have an election to win in 2029 at the latest. Lead up to the 2023 election was a dagger in the heart of the economy.

Defence sector is not huge, Turkey spends less than 3% of its GDP on defence.

You mean in 2027 not in 2029
The current sale is clearly geared towards having a massive surplus before the third or fourth quarter of 2027 for the early elections

 

[Sanchez]

You mean in 2027 not in 2029
The current sale is clearly geared towards having a massive surplus before the third or fourth quarter of 2027 for the early elections

2028 actually, 2029 was wrong. Per law, next general elections should be had no later than May 2028. But noone gives a shit about laws anymore so we'll see.

People shouldn't have to bear the burden of increased costs for at least a decade for one party's election campaigns.

 

[Lool]

2028 actually, 2029 was wrong. Per law, next general elections should be had no later than May 2028. But noone gives a shit about laws anymore so we'll see.

People shouldn't have to bear the burden of increased costs for at least a decade for one party's election campaigns.

If the elections occured in 2028, then Erdogan wont be allowed to run for a third term by law. However, according to some sites, if an early election is held, then Erdogan does have the right to nominate himself for a third round; i-e, if my info is legitimate

 

[Huelague]

Still, most important agreement right now

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