TUR: Legislation Threatens Advertising

In Turkey, a bill currently going through parliament could endanger the future of the advertising industry, according to local industry experts. The proposed legislation was introduced by the Welfare Party, a fundamentalist Islamic political organisation that has a majority in parliament with its coalition partner, the True Path Party. The proposals would mean that companies would no longer be able to write-off advertising costs as a tax-deductible cost of business. Some local analysts are forecasting that if the measure becomes law, it could reduce advertising expenditure by as much as 50%.