Social media firms operating in Turkey should open offices there and pay taxes, authorities said Tuesday, amid a row with Twitter which the Turkish prime minister has branded "tax evaders" Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Without mentioning Twitter by name, Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said social media platforms were dodging taxes if they operated without opening a physical office.
"When you take a look at double taxation agreements, a foreign taxpayer must have an office in order to pay tax," Simsek said.
"Social media companies must definitely open a representative office here," he added.
"If they have good intentions, they open a representative office. If they harbour bad intentions, then we will sit down and mull alternatives," stressed the minister.
The comments came as Twitter executives, led by Colin Crowell, the San Francisco-based company's head of global public policy, held a second round of closed-door talks in Ankara at the presidency.