Barçın: Public Finances on the Brink of Collapse

Barçın accused the government of abandoning fiscal discipline, noting that public investments have stalled and critical sectors like education and healthcare are underfunded. “Yesterday, an additional 1.8 billion TL was borrowed. The result is a public finance system full of holes,” he added.

The MP also highlighted labor issues in state institutions, claiming that employees at Binboğa Feed and Agricultural Supplies Cooperative have been working without social security for over a year, with wages below the minimum threshold, yet the Finance Ministry continues to collect income tax on these salaries. Barçın further accused BRT of employing staff without proper social security coverage. “The government says there is work, but it fails to protect workers’ rights even in its own institutions,” he stated.

Barçın criticized the government’s pre-election temporary hires, saying 200 temporary employees were added, imposing an annual additional cost of 260 million TL on public finances. He claimed some of these employees were paid without even showing up for work. “On one hand, there are uninsured workers, and on the other, public resources are consumed through partisan appointments,” he said.

The MP warned that inflation is eroding citizens’ purchasing power, noting food prices rose by 10.7% in August and 5.8% in September. “For every 10,000 TL spent, citizens are effectively losing 1,000 TL,” he said. He added that the government has implemented no economic measures, stating: “There is not a single policy proposal, not a single action. The Central Bank authorizes borrowing, and the government just borrows.”

Barçın also called on the Finance Ministry to refrain from cutting municipal revenues, emphasizing that local governments deliver direct services to the public. “No matter the party, do not tamper with municipal revenues. Otherwise, the only functioning service sector will collapse,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, Barçın stressed: “The public has rejected this mindset. Citizens do not want the country run this way. Public resources must be used fairly, productively, and transparently.”