As millions of retirees await a long-promised pension hike, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek appeared to downplay the pressure caused by rising rents.
Speaking at the ruling AKP’s Kızılcahamam retreat, Şimşek said: “72% of the population owns their home, 28% rent, and only 14% of retirees are renters,” according to pro-government columnist Abdulkadir Selvi.
The comments went viral on social media, with users pointing to discrepancies between Şimşek’s statement and official statistics. According to the Turkish Statistical Institute’s 2024 Income and Living Conditions Survey, only 56.1% of Turks live in their own homes. Meanwhile, 28% were tenants, 0.9% lived in public housing, and 15% resided in dwellings where they neither owned nor paid rent.
Regarding the interim increase in the minimum wage, Şimşek said that any increases would be rapidly eroded unless the country manages the budget deficit, the current account deficit and the fight against inflation.
“Once inflation is under control, we will reset the system,” he said.
Şimsek’s remarks come amid rising pressure on the government to reform pensions. At a recent CHP group meeting, Chair Özgür Özel repeated his party’s call to raise the lowest pension to the level of the minimum wage.
ERDOĞAN ORDERS CREDIT CARD FEE REVIEW
Separately, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tasked Şimşek with addressing dissatisfaction over the commissions banks charge on credit card transactions.
The matter was also discussed in Kızılcahamam where Şimşek said he would look into it. He was also asked for a tax amnesty, which he reportedly ruled out “under the current conditions.”
