Gov’t reportedly excludes Gülen followers from across-the-board debt restructuring

The government has reportedly taken another step to segregate Gülen movement from society with the Finance Minister Naci Ağbal ordering tax offices to exclude people linked to the Turkey’s new scapegoat from the recently-announced debt restructuring program.

Turkish government accuses the movement of not only masterminding the July 15 coup attempt but also of many other things that have jeopardized Turkey’s image in the recent past including Moody’s sovereign rating downgrade, downing of a Russian warplane and Gezi protest. While the latter denies any involvement, people linked to it fail to be discriminated in both state level and among the society –also stirred up by top government officials.

According to TR724 news platform, minister Ağbal has ordered tax offices to deny tax clearance certificates to people implicated in anti-movement investigations and to those who are publicly known as supporter of the movement.

The government passed a bill concerning the restructuring of state receivables across the board in August. Turkish citizens who pay off their accrued tax obligations of the period before June 30 or restructure them up to certain amount have become entitled to obtain tax clearance certificate.

TR724 claimed that the movement-linked citizens have been deprived of such right with the Ağbal’s instruction. According to his order, the movement’s followers will not be given tax clearance certificate and warrants of attachment on their properties will not be revoked even if they pay off all their tax liabilities.

The move came as the latest of similar steps. Earlier, the government cancelled passports of thousands and confiscated properties of many others over their alleged ties to the movement. Local land registry and cadaster offices blocked thousands of transactions for sales and transfers of properties if vendors or purchasers are suspected of being linked to the movement. With the President threatened some overseas supporters of the movement with revoking their Turkish citizenship last week, many small business owners were reported to have refused to serve Gülen-linked customers in the past.