Major News! Export tax rebates for photovoltaic products, batteries, and other products will be canceled!

The Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation recently issued the "Announcement on Adjusting the Export Tax Rebate Policy for Photovoltaic and Other Products," clarifying that starting from 2026, the value-added tax export tax rebate for photovoltaic, battery, and other products will be phased out or reduced. This policy affects multiple categories of new energy products and will have a direct impact on the cost structure of related export businesses and the international trade logistics landscape.

According to the announcement:

Photovoltaic products: Starting from April 1, 2026, the value-added tax export tax rebate will be canceled.

From April 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026, the value-added tax export tax rebate rate will be reduced from 9% to 6%;

Consumption Tax: For products listed and subject to consumption tax, the export consumption tax policy remains unchanged and continues to apply the consumption tax rebate (exemption) policy.

The scope of products involved is detailed in the annex list of the announcement, covering major export categories such as photovoltaic modules, inverters, and energy storage batteries.

China's export tax rebate policy for photovoltaic products began in October 2013, with an initial rebate ratio of up to 50%, providing financial support for photovoltaic enterprises to expand overseas markets. With the expansion of the industry scale and technological progress, the rebate ratio has been adjusted multiple times.

· On November 15, 2024, Announcement No. 15 from the Ministry of Finance and the State Administration of Taxation reduced the export tax rebate rate for some refined oil products, photovoltaic products, battery products, and some non-metallic mineral products from 13% to 9%.

· This announcement, based on previous adjustments, further cancels or reduces the VAT export tax rebate for photovoltaic and battery products, marking the first comprehensive cancellation of tax rebates for photovoltaic products.

Personnel from institutions such as the China Energy Policy Research Institute of Xiamen University and the China Photovoltaic Industry Association stated that the original intention of establishing the export tax rebate policy was to encourage industrial development. At the current stage, due to cost reduction and increased competitiveness, the cancellation of tax rebates is reasonable.

Data from the China Photovoltaic Industry Association shows:

· In the first 10 months of 2025, China's total export value of photovoltaic products was 24.42 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 13.2%;

· The decrease has narrowed compared to 34.5% in the same period of 2024.

The association also pointed out that the industry has improved the supply-demand relationship by adjusting the matching methods of production and sales, and export prices show signs of stabilizing.

Industry analysis shows that compared to the component segment, the battery segment faces greater pressure for strategic adjustment during the transition period of tax rebate reduction and cancellation. In the short term, companies need to adapt to a 6% tax rebate rate; in the long term, after tax rebates are zeroed out, production capacity lacking technological premiums may accelerate its exit.

After the cancellation or reduction of export tax rebates, the price advantage of related export products will rely more on production cost control and technological innovation, and the overall profit margin of export enterprises will be compressed.

· Rising export costs may prompt some companies to accelerate the establishment of overseas production bases or warehousing facilities to reduce cross-border transportation frequency and tariff impacts.

· The layout of new production capacity in regions such as Europe, the Middle East, and North America will drive the growth of cross-border logistics demand for equipment, raw materials, and finished products.

· The global supply chain structure may shift from "concentrated exports" to "multi-site production + regional supply," requiring international logistics networks to make corresponding adjustments in multi-port operations, cross-border customs clearance, and warehousing allocation.

The adjustment of export tax rebate policies for photovoltaic and battery products this time reflects a shift in China's new energy industry policy orientation. The implementation of the policy will affect the operating environment of relevant export enterprises and bring about changes in the structure of cross-border transportation demand, supply chain layout, and global transportation network configuration at the international logistics level. The subsequent implementation and the international trade flow of related products still require continuous observation.