A group of American solar panel manufacturers in the U.S. has asked the government to put new taxes on solar panels coming from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Laos.
The petition, led by the American Alliance, has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). It says that countries like India and others in Southeast Asia are unfairly sending low-cost solar panels and cells to the U.S. Some of these products are entering through indirect routes to avoid taxes.
U.S. companies say this practice is making it harder for local manufacturers to grow, as it pushes down prices. This is not the first time the U.S. solar industry has raised concerns over unfair competition.
The petition says that now India and some other nations have also become part of this group that supplies cheaper solar products to the U.S.
Chinese solar companies have also been paying extra taxes in the U.S. for more than 10 years, but now, to avoid paying these extra taxes, some Chinese companies have started making solar products in Southeast Asian countries or sending them through those countries.
If U.S. authorities find the complaint valid, they may impose extra taxes on solar panels coming from these countries. These new tariffs could make imported panels more expensive, change how solar parts are bought and sold around the world, and possibly increase the cost of solar projects in the U.S. The complete investigation might take around a year to complete.
Trade experts say that if the petition goes through, it could hurt India’s plans to export solar panels and may create tension in trade ties between India and the U.S.
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