Electricity and natural gas have become ‘luxury consumption’ in Turkey

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Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Group Deputy Chair Saruhan Oluç held a press conference at the Parliament today (January 3) and commented on the current developments and price hikes in Turkey.

Referring to the recently announced consumer inflation rates of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) and the Inflation Research Group (ENAG), Oluç noted that even though the official figures shared by the TurkStat do not reflect the truth, the picture is still grave:

"The TurkStat has announced the monthly inflation as 13.58 percent while the ENAG has announced it as 19.35 percent, which is 6 points higher than that of the TurkStat. [...] The TurkStat has announced the annual inflation as 36 percent while the ENAG has announced it as 82.81 percent. The scale of TurkStat's lie reaches 50 percent on the basis of annual inflation."

'Interest trouble is reason, inflation is result'

Elaborating further on the official inflation figures of the TurkStat, HDP's Oluç underlined that "the inflation has seen a 19-year high even based on the data of the TurkStat that have been tampered with."

According to the information shared by Saruhan Oluç, the monthly inflation rate topped 10 percent in Turkey for the first time since April 2001.

Asking the reason behind these record-high inflation figures, he said, "Wrong economic policies, wrong choices, the obsession with the interest rate... As you know, they say that interest rate is the reason and inflation is the result. It is not the case here. The trouble with interest rates is the reason and inflation is the result. The situation is right before us."

'Bread prices have increased by 150 percent'

Raising concerns that the prices of all basic necessities including electricity and natural gas were increased by over 100 percent on the last day of 2021, he underlined that "we are faced with a grave picture":

"While such high price increases are the case, the TurkStat is talking about 36 percent. This is naturally not true, as you know.

"The TurkStat says that the transportation prices increased by 53.66 percent, the food and non-alcoholic beverage prices increased by 43 percent and furniture prices increased by 40 percent in December compared to last December. But the annual inflation rate stands at 36 percent.

Do you know what turns out to be the case when we look at the changes in the bread prices? Since January 2021, bread prices have increased by 150 percent. The increase in flour prices is 162 percent. The price of sugar has increased by 95 percent, that of milk has increased by 25 percent, beans by 100 percent, lentils by 140 percent, detergents by 150 percent and the price of toilet paper has increased by 128 percent. These are all annual increases.

'Electricity prices see 400-percent increase'

Criticizing the TurkStat further for announcing the annual consumer inflation rate as 36 percent, HDP's Saruhan Oluç said, "Inflation is the most unjust tax of all; we know that. The increase introduced to the minimum wage has melted even before workers receive it."

Referring to the year 2018, when Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was reelected the President and Turkey thereby adopted the Presidential System, Oluç said:

"Since 2018, when the one-man rule began, the electricity prices have increased by 400 percent and natural gas prices have increased by 147 percent. The last price increases are not included in this. The most merciless of all have been the last price increases. Electricity and natural gas have become luxury consumption now. The cost of one-man rule has manifested itself as hunger, poverty and injustice." (AS/SD)