A letter sent to all Turkish MPs by the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament (TBMM), Bulent Arinc, has elicited an interesting response from opposition Republican People's (CHP) Party member Canan Aritman. The letter from Arinc announces that from now on, Turkish MPs will have 20 YTL deducted from their monthly salaries to pay for tea consumed on the job. Aritman's response to Arinc's announcement is as follows:

"Where in the world does anything like this take place? People pay for what they spend. Some of the MPs have frequent guests, and pay around 100-150 YTL a month for tea. There are MPs who drink 20YTL worth of tea a month, and there are MPs who drink neither tea nor coffee. I don't think that paying 20YTL for monthly tea, when in actuality 100YTL worth of tea has been consumed, is right. Because the remaining money comes out of the pockets of the people. I do not find this gift right or fair." (Hürriyetim)