Bootleg alcohol kills 44 people in Turkey in past week, report says
Turks are going for cheaper liquor options as taxes rise on alcohol
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Forty-four people in Turkey have died from bootleg alcohol poisoning over the past week, state media reported on Tuesday, as more Turks opt for cheaper options after sharp rises in taxes on liquor.
The first death occurred on Friday in the western province of Izmir, where 18 people have died, and state broadcaster TRT said bootleg alcohol consumption had claimed lives in at least seven other provinces across Turkey.
Police said they had detained 58 people over the last four days for producing and selling bootleg alcohol. Of those detained, seven have been jailed pending trial.
The interior ministry said at the weekend that police suspected some victims of using alcohol-based cleaners to brew homemade drinks.
Turkey's Islamist-rooted ruling AK Party has imposed high taxes on alcohol. The tax on the national favourite raki, an anise-flavored spirit, has leapt by 443 per cent in the past decade and the tax on beer by 365 per cent. A 70 cc bottle of raki costs around 170 lira ($22), taxed 234 per cent over the original price.
The government raised taxes on alcoholic beverages again in July by a further 6.9 per cent. They are expected to account this year for 2.7 per cent of total tax revenues, up from 1.6 per cent a decade ago, finance ministry data showed.
Ozan Bingol, a taxation expert at Baskent University, said excessive alcohol taxes would encourage citizens to consume counterfeit products, causing an increase in the state's health expenses and causing many preventable deaths.
"Contrary to general belief, the state's tax revenues will not increase but decrease," Bingol said.
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments