Urgent Rumor: Export Tax Rebates for Photovoltaic Products Will Be Cancelled

According to a report by PV Europe on November 3rd, Gerard Scheper, CEO of European Solar, stated that China's export policy for photovoltaic (PV) products will undergo significant changes. The original 9% export tax rebate will be reduced by 4.5% in November and December respectively, eventually leading to the elimination of the export tax rebate.

While the report claims this information comes from "insiders," a search of publicly available information by *Global PV* indicates that the latest policy regarding export tax rebates for PV products is still the one issued on November 15, 2024, by the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation, which states that "the export tax rebate rate for photovoltaic products and batteries... will be reduced from 13% to 9%," effective from December 2024.

PV Europe's November 3rd report also stated that Chinese authorities initially planned to set September as the expiration date for eliminating the export tax rebate policy for PV products, but manufacturers acted swiftly, with factories increasing production, filling warehouses, and exporting products before the policy expired. According to Gerard Scheper, CEO of European Solar, "They were loading trucks and rushing to export, squeezing the last drop of profit from the old policy."

The report states that the surge in exports before September surprised authorities, leading to a postponement of the "expiration of the export tax rebate policy," with rumors suggesting a phased implementation during a transition period.

In 2024, severe overcapacity in upstream polysilicon production caused the prices of Chinese photovoltaic cells and modules to plummet below the cost line set by the CPIA, further exacerbating concerns in Europe and the United States about the dumping of Chinese photovoltaic products. Against this backdrop, China lowered export tax rebates for photovoltaic products for the first time to safeguard the country's best interests.

In 2025, although China's anti-involution policies led to a recovery in upstream polysilicon prices, reports continued to circulate that photovoltaic module prices had fallen below 0.6 yuan/watt. Furthermore, the retaliatory tariffs imposed by the United States have significantly increased export costs for photovoltaic manufacturing countries such as India and Mexico. If China were to completely eliminate export tax rebates for battery modules at this time, it might not necessarily affect the export competitiveness of Chinese products; on the contrary, it could offset the profit losses from excessive competition and reduce the negative impact of "dumping." PV Europe reports that the price of photovoltaic modules from China may rise in the future.