Announcement from the Ministry of Trade

The Ministry of Trade made a statement regarding the regulation prohibiting advertisements above the ‘zero price’ in the automotive sector, announcing that individual and commercial advertisements that were in violation of the regulation were being followed up and that the number of advertisements showing violations had decreased from 20 thousand to 7 thousand as of July 15. The Ministry of Trade announced that companies that continued to violate the regulation despite the regulation in their advertisements for the sale of second-hand motor land vehicles were being penalized. In the statement made by the Ministry, it was reminded that with the amendment made to the Regulation on the Trade of Second-Hand Motor Land Vehicles, the marketing of second-hand motor land vehicles through advertisements at a price above the current sales price recommended by the manufacturer or distributor has been prohibited until January 1, 2024. Within the scope of the regulation that entered into force as of July 15, all real and legal persons are warned by “advertisement platforms” during the advertisement placement phase; Despite this warning, information about the advertisements placed in violation of the said ban and those who placed the advertisements are being forwarded to our Ministry and it is being followed up, the statement reads, "It has been determined that the total number of individual and commercial advertisements published on advertisement platforms before the regulation and that may constitute a violation of this regulation exceeded 20 thousand. It has been observed that this number has decreased to the level of 7 thousand since the regulation entered into force on July 15, 2023. In the latest examination, it has been understood that the total number of advertisements that may constitute a violation of the said regulation has decreased below 5 thousand." The statement stated that administrative fines of up to 300 thousand liras per advertisement are imposed on real and legal persons who place advertisements that are in violation. The Ministry also reminded that for individual sales, a maximum of three vehicles are allowed to be sold in a year, and that sales above this amount are considered commercial activity and therefore require penal sanctions.