The impact of tax rebates on export performance: China's textile exports to the USA

The paper evaluates the effectiveness of China increasing its tax rebate on textile exports to the USA. Using the difference-in-differences technique and employing The Harmonized System six-digit data, it is found that the tax rebate policy boosted the growth of textile exports to the USA. Approximately 6 to 25 per cent of the growth can be attributed to this policy. The difference-in-differences technique appears useful in evaluating such policies and opens the door to studies measuring the impact of polices. The effectiveness of the export tax rebate policy should be a lesson for policymakers facing slumps in their exports in economic downturns and perhaps become part of the standard trade policy arsenal.