VZCZCXRO4715
PP RUEHDA
DE RUEHAK #0493 0900759
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 310759Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ANKARA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9289
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING PRIORITY 0367
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 4303
RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA PRIORITY 0124
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PRIORITY 0057
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA PRIORITY 0303
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA PRIORITY 0137
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 3295
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 0082
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW PRIORITY 5659
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0496
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 0279
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 5472
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA PRIORITY 0128
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 0670
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 6721
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL PRIORITY 0232
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 1007
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA PRIORITY 3721
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL PRIORITY 5581
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY

UNCLAS ANKARA 000493 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/EGC BARBARA DEROSA-JOYNT AND ED FENDLEY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EFIN ENRG SENV KGHG TU
SUBJECT: TURKEY: NO GREEN ENERGY INVESTMENTS IN STIMULUS 
PACKAGE 
 
REF: A. STATE 26022 
     ¶B. ANKARA 118 
     ¶C. ANKARA 297 
     ¶D. ANKARA 313 
 
¶1. Although Turkey has now passed two major stimulus 
packages (see reftels), neither set of legislation 
contained any major initiatives on green investment.  The 
upcoming third package is expected to focus on credit 
guarantees, and there has not yet been any discussion of a 
fourth package. 
 
¶2. The GOT did grant an amnesty on taxes and fines for 
people who trade-in vehicles older than 30 years for a new 
car, partially with the intent of removing high-emission 
vehicles from the road, but more as a means to spur new car 
purchases.  The success of this plan has been limited, for 
reasons outlined in Ref C.  More successful has been the 
temporary removal of the special consumption tax on new 
vehicles (Ref D), which has sparked a sharp uptick in new 
vehicle sales and will tangentially help replace older 
vehicles with newer, low-emission models.  Again, the goal 
was less to help the environment than to spur the 
automotive industry, and if there is a net gain in overall 
cars on the road the emissions picture may actually worsen. 
 
¶3. Prior to the passage of the stimulus package, there had 
been some expectation that there would be tax incentives 
for automotive firms researching clean technologies and 
retail tax incentives for consumers purchasing green 
vehicles, but neither proposal was included in the final 
plan. 
 
 
Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey 
 
Jeffrey