Turkish oil companies face tax investigations

摘要

Istanbul—Oil companies operating in Turkey have in recent weeks been subjected to investigations into their tax positions, leading to some speculation that the probes may be linked to the recent anti-government protests in the country. Turkey’s sole refiner Tupras; Aygaz, the country’s biggest distributor of LPG; and a marketing joint venture between Shell and Turkey’s Turcas have all been placed under investigation by the Turkish finance ministry. Tupras has said the investigation concerned tax issues and relates to clauses in Turkey’s new petroleum legislation, which was passed into law in late May.