With the new project, taxis will be eguipped with a bulletproof screen betvveen the driver and passenger cabins Ministry working on bili to put safer taxis on road I Industry and Trade Minister Zafer i Çağlayan has stated that his ministry is vvorking on a bili to replace old taxis with newer, safer ones. Çağlayan said yesterday they have completed work on a plan to solve the problems frequently faced by taxi drivers. "There are taxi drivers who are killed for TL 60 or 70. They have no security," he noted. Çağlayan went on to say that his ministry aims to overcome this and other problems through a project that will give taxi drivers a chance to replace their old cars with newer, safer models by offering them tax breaks.
Çağlayan explained that the new taxis vvould be equipped with a bulletproof screen betvveen the driver and passenger cabins. Taxi drivers vvould be offered a one-time exemption from value-added tax (VAT) and private consumption tax (ÖTV) if they plan to replace their vehicles vvith nevver models.
The ministry decision comes in the vvake of a bili proposed last May by Republican People's Party (CHP) Bursa deputy Kemal Demirel. The bili intended to raise safety standards for taxis. Demirel noted that the bili may serve to curb the incidence of robbery and murder in taxicabs, a phenomenon seen particularly in metropolitan areas. The CHP deputy added that making taxicabs more secure could be discussed as part of harmonization vvith European Union legislation on traffic safety, and therefore, the govemment could act pre-emptively by passing this bili at an earlier stage.
Çağlayan stated that there are around 72.000 taxis on Turkey's roads, adding that İstanbul, Antalya, Ankara and İzmir vvere the cities vvith highest taxi population. "Our objective vvith this project is, first of ali, to provide taxi drivers vvith the opportunity to vvork under more secure conditions and, secondly, to reinvigorate the automotive sector." istanbul Today's Zaman