ANKARA, July 16 (Reuters) - Turkey raised tax on petrol on Sunday to help to fund a 1.12 trillion lira ($42.2 billion) increase to its 2023 budget after February's earthquakes and the May presidential election sent spending soaring.
The wider deficit was largely because of increased spending ahead of May elections, when President Tayyip Erdogan was elected for a third term, as well as on rebuilding work after the earthquakes in southern Turkey.
The earthquakes, which killed more than 50,000 people, are expected to cost Turkey more than $100 billion in total.
In the latest step to strengthen the Treasury's cash reserves, the tax rate for gasoline was increased to 7.52 lira per litre from 2.52 lira ($0.1) while tax on diesel oil rose to 7.05 lira from 2.05 lira.
The 1.12 trillion lira boost to Ankara's budget was approved by parliament on Saturday and follows various other recent tax increases among efforts to bolster government coffers, including a two percentage point increase to VAT.
Persons:
Tayyip Erdogan, Ali Kucukgocmen, Diane Craft, David Goodman
Organizations:
stoke, Ece Toksabay, Thomson
Locations:
ANKARA, Turkey