Turkish villagers object to taxation of meteors 'sent by God'

Turkey's Finance Ministry has dispatched officials to conduct tax inspections on meteorites found in the eastern Turkish province of Bingöl, prompting fierce opposition on the part of local villagers who say the meteorites were "sent by God" and are not quantifiable. 

Treasury officials arrived in the village of Sar?çiçek to conduct an onsite investigation following media reports of villagers selling pieces of meteorites for up to $200,000 to collectors from Russia and Europe.

An investigation was launched to determine revenues from the trade, with reports indicating that sales above 21,000 Turkish Liras would be subjected to tax.

Villagers objected to the ministry's controversial move, arguing that the meteorites could not be considered natural wealth since they were "sent from above."

"God sent them from the sky. They should be exempt," villager R?dvan Ergün said. "They said the stones belong to the state. We did not extract them from the ground. Taxes should be imposed on [stones] extracted from the ground." 

Another villager argued that locals were not involved in commerce, as the revenues were used to pay debts. 
"The villagers gathered stones; it's true. But they did not engage in commerce. They only paid their debts," ?smail Ergün said. "We did not establish companies or hire people to look for stones. We just gathered a few stones. We don't believe that should be taxable."

Noted Twitter user and Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet ?im?ek took to the social media site to sound out the public on the controversial move to tax the villagers.

"Are the meteors sold in Bingöl's Sar?çiçek village taxable? What do you think?" the minister said, asking people to make a choice between taxing the villagers...