COVID-19: Turkey Introduced Relief Package for Food and Beverage Businesses

The Ministry of Trade (“Ministry”) has recently issued the Communiqué on the Turnover Loss Support Program for The Businesses Engaged in Food and Beverage Service Activities due to the Coronavirus Outbreak (“Communiqué”), regulating the procedures and principles on the loss of turnover support (“support”) due to the restriction of their activities during the Covid-19 outbreak.

In the scope of the support introduced by the Communiqué, the businesses whose turnover for the year of 2020 has decreased compared to the turnover in the calendar year of 2019 at the ratio of %50 at least, will be able to benefit from this support for once only. However, these businesses’ turnover must be equal to or less than three million Turkish Liras in the calendar year of 2019.

Accordingly, the support to be provided to those businesses is designated as corresponding to 3% of the decreasing amount of the turnover of the business between the years of 2019 and 2020. As per the Communiqué, the amount of the support shall not be less than two thousand Turkish Liras and not more than forty thousand Turkish Liras.

It is enunciated that for the businesses which are also eligible to benefit the income loss support or rental support within the scope of The Grant Support Program issued by the Ministry on December 24, 2020; the amount they benefit shall be deducted from the support to be provided under this Communiqué. The residual amount, if any, is given to these businesses as turnover loss support. (Please view for further details regarding The Grant Support Program: https://herdem.av.tr/covid-19-recent-measures-and-regulatory-updates-in-turkey)

The businesses which are eligible for the support are required to apply through the official website of the e-government (www.turkiye.gov.tr) . The application period for the support program shall be announced on the official website of the Ministry. Accordingly, the period of application which shall be at least ten days will be determined by the Ministry. After the application process, the support shall be deposited into the bank account of the eligible business, notified at the time of application, and confirmed electronically.

Nihan Ünal