Selçuk Bayraktar, the chairperson of the board of directors and chief technology officer at Baykar, a Turkish defense giant recognized for its drone manufacturing, topped the list of Türkiye's major taxpayers in 2023, after having the same time title a year earlier.

As a result of an evaluation of the annual income tax and corporate tax returns for the 2023 taxation period, the Turkish Revenue Administration (GIB) announced on Wednesday the list of the 100 taxpayers who declared the highest tax in Türkiye.

Bayraktar led the list by paying TL 1.95 billion ($57.30 million) in taxes and was followed by Baykar's general manager, Haluk Bayraktar, with TL 1.68 billion.

Thus, the first two places on the list of Türkiye's tax record holders were shared by the two brothers, the managers of the defense giant, which has been at the top of the list for the last three years.

Specializing in drone technology, Baykar emerged as one of the pioneers in the transformative journey of Türkiye's defense industry, having signed contracts to sell its famed Bayraktar TB2 drones to at least 30 countries to date.

The company is also holder of the title of highest defense exporter in 2023, accounting for nearly a third of the record $5.5 billion industry generated in the year.

As the leading exporter in the defense and aviation sector, the company made 90% of its turnover last year from export revenues. With $1.8 billion in exports last year, it also ranked among the top 10 companies in all sectors when considering the highest exports.

Meanwhile, third on the list of taxpayers in 2023 was Mustafa Rahmi Koç, honorary chairperson of one of the largest holdings in the country, Koç Holding, with TL 480 million in taxes.

While the taxpayers in the fourth, sixth, and those ranking between eighth and tenth places on the list did not want their names to be disclosed, Ipek Kıraç ranked fifth with TL 323.3 million and Mehmet Ömer Koç ranked seventh with TL 261.77 million in paid taxes.

In the list of taxpayers who declared corporate tax, lender Ziraat Bank ranked first with a tax assessment of TL 22.7 billion, followed by Garanti Bank and Akbank.