The earthquake tax was established in November 1999[3] during the government of Bülent Ecevit[4] and was directed at cable TV, mobile calls, and messaging.
[5][6] The tax was initially 7.5% on private communication,[7] but over a presidential decree it was raised to 10% in early 2021.
[6] In 2012, the government announced a new plan aimed at reinforcing buildings to make them earthquake-proof.
[6] In a 2011 video, Minister of Justice Mehmet Simsek says that the tax money was used for several transport and agriculture projects.
[12] Similarly calculating, the Gazete Duvar reports that by 2020, between 67.5 – 140 billion lira have been raised since 1999.