Üstün Ergüder, chairman of TÜSEV, said on Wednesday that the influence of civil society organizations has increased in many areas, including education reform, combating poverty and creating a new constitution. Therefore, he said the need to better understand the development of civil society in Turkey has increased.
“Politicians pay more attention to civil society. Civil society organizations have been more involved than ever in the political process. This is an important turning point,” he said.
He also pointed out that civil society organizations have problems because some laws -- like the Law on Associations and the Law on Meeting and Demonstrations -- present obstacles for civil society organizations by restraining their effective functioning.
The TÜSEV report indicated that civil society organizations that work in the East and Southeast of the country have been inspected more frequently and have been subject to more restrictions.
Another problem of civil society organizations relates to their financial obligations. While associations are obliged to pay taxes, foundations are exempt from taxation. Associations go through a lengthy bureaucratic process in order to obtain tax exempt status. The process can be as long as 10 years, and the decision is made by the Cabinet.
In addition, the report notes that when it comes to individual donations, Turkey was ranked 136th among 153 countries.
