The cost of vehicles leased by public offices in Turkey increased by 177 percent, growing by TL 537 million ($100 million) in 2018, according to an opposition deputy, the Artı Gerçek news website reported.
Gürsel Tekin, a deputy for İstanbul from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), said there were 110,131 vehicles in use by Turkish officials, excluding municipalities.
“The number of official vehicles in Turkey is 20 times of that Germany. In January alone, the cost of leasing cars for officials exceeded TL 26 million ($5 million),” Tekin said.
“While our citizens are struggling with economic problems and price hikes, public offices haven’t given up their love for official cars,” he added.
Turkey had experienced a currency crisis last summer with the national currency in free fall against the US dollar, causing high inflation in food prices.