The holiday bonus for retirees is increasing to 4,000 liras. The budget cost of the holiday bonus payments to be made to 15.5 million retired individuals will be 28.4 billion liras.

An impact analysis was conducted on the Draft Law on Making Amendments to the Youth and Sports Services Law and Some Laws and Decree Laws Regarding the Increase of the Retired Persons’ Holiday Bonus to 4,000 liras and Amendments Related to Birth Assistance, which was discussed in the Turkish Parliament Planning and Budget Committee. According to the compiled data from the impact analysis, 8,000 athletes are being trained by the Ministry of Youth and Sports in Olympic and Paralympic sports every summer and winter for preparation towards Olympic games. In 2022, athlete allowances of 81,208,278.09 liras were paid, 218,892,405.24 liras in 2023, 406,419,201.78 liras in 2024, and 46,058,365.33 liras in January of this year, without exceeding the minimum wage net amount. The proposal introduces a method where general assembly meeting calls for independent accountant and sworn certified public accountant chambers will be announced on the chamber’s official website instead of sending them via registered mail to the members, aiming to reduce the postal expenses for chambers by an estimated 13,433,600 liras, excluding labor, time, and stationery costs. The holiday bonus provided under the law will be paid as 4,000 liras during Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha once the draft law is enacted, previously raised to 3,000 liras on March 2, 2024.

It is estimated that the 1,000 lira increase in the holiday bonus will present an additional cost of 28.4 billion liras to the 2025 budget.

FOREIGN-PLATED VEHICLE REGULATION
The number of individuals expected to receive the holiday bonus payment is estimated at 15.5 million due to the provision that limits the payment to one record for those receiving income from multiple files on a monthly and/or annual basis. According to the proposal, foreign-plated vehicles passing through toll roads without paying the crossing fee, along with their possible fines, will have these fees collected at border checkpoints before leaving the country. It is calculated that approximately 60% of the collected amount will be recorded as service fee revenue to the general budget, generating an annual income of around 5 million dollars. Amendments are being made to the regulation regarding the payment of performance bonuses to the personnel of the State Airports Administration (DHMİ). As per these changes, the performance bonus will be calculated as the product of 40% of the civil servant monthly coefficient and the number of departing flights at civilian airports in Turkey. This regulation will lead to an additional payment of around 4,508,860,637 liras from the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol) for the 12,007 personnel working in DHMİ, without creating a financial burden on the country budget. With the amendments made in the Decree Law on Some Regulations in Social Services Field, birth assistance will be provided for children born after January 1, 2025, until they turn 5, upon application and proof of residence in Turkey. A five-year cost analysis was conducted and projections were made, taking into account the birth statistics obtained from the Turkish Statistical Institute. According to calculations based on the birth statistics, the budget for the assistance program is estimated to reach 22.8 billion liras in the first year, 45.7 billion liras in the second year, 67.6 billion liras in the third year, 89.5 billion liras in the fourth year, and 111.4 billion liras in the fifth year. Considering that the budget for the existing program in 2024 was 211 million lira, the estimated additional cost in the first year is approximately 22.6 billion liras.