The US government has finished reviewing tariff rates imposed in 2012 on PV modules imported from China and decided to reduce the anti-dumping rates to an average of 1.82% and anti-subsidization rates to an average of 15.68%. The total average of 19.50% is much lower than original 30%, meaning it is now unnecessary for China-based PV module makers to choose locations other than in China and Taiwan for procuring solar cells and/or setting up production lines to evade the taxation, according to PV industry sources in Taiwan.
The large reduction in anti-dumping tariff rates was because the US government found that China-based makers did not significantly dump PV modules in the US market from May 25, 2012 to November 30, 2013, the sources said.
The reduced rates are much lower than the ones imposed in December 2014 when the US government concluded its second anti-dumping and anti-subsidization investigation and determined anti-dumping tariff rates of 76.50-90.85% and anti-subsidization tariff rates of 27.64-49.79% on leading China-based PV module makers, the sources said.
These China-based makers, however, will be allowed to choose between the reduced 2012 rates and the 2014 rates and are expected to naturally choose the former.
Before the review, China-based PV module makers originally considered procurement of solar cells produced at other locations, especially in Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, to replace supplies originally from Taiwan-based makers. The establishment of production lines at such locations would be specifically for exports to the US market without being subject to such high tariff rates, the sources said. Now that China-based PV module makers can choose reduced 2012 rates, they have no occasion to consider doing so, the sources indicated.
