Tax rebates on goods export via e-commerce

The State Administration of Taxation and the Ministry of Finance are studying policies, likely to be introduced before Oct 1, on rebating or exempting value added and consumer tax on goods exported through e-commerce, according to a document from the General Office of the State Council of China, Eastmoney.com reported on Monday.

Exports through e-commerce are often in large quantities but of small value, leaving the business owners little way to use a customs declaration and enjoy tax rebates under the current regulations, said Zhang Weihua, an official with the taxation administration.

The new policies will further reduce the costs of e-commerce businesses and boost the development of the business in China, Zhang added.

The trading volume of cross-border e-commerce jumped 25 percent from 1.6 trillion yuan ($260 billion) in 2011 to 2 trillion yuan in 2012 while China’s overall trade went up 6.2 percent year-on-year in 2012. The trading volume of cross-border e-commerce will rise about 30 percent year-on-year in 2013 and reach 6.4 trillion yuan in 2016, accounting for 18.5 percent of the overall trade, analysts said.