How Are Subsidies Provided for the Newly Added Categories Under the Home Appliances Going to the Countryside Program (Policy Interpretation)
The Home Appliances Going to the Countryside policy has issued new regulations: each province (autonomous region, municipality) may, in addition to the existing 9 categories of subsidized products, select one newly added category to include in the scope of the Home Appliances Going to the Countryside policy. To strengthen the management of locally and independently selected newly added categories under the Home Appliances Going to the Countryside program, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology formulated the Implementation Plan for Newly Added Subsidized Categories Under the Home Appliances Going to the Countryside Program. A relevant official of the Ministry of Finance interpreted the subsidy policy for newly added categories under the Home Appliances Going to the Countryside program, the method for determining specific models, and the management of distribution enterprises and winning bid products.
Six newly added categories of home appliances, with a limit of 2 units purchased per household
This official introduced that because the newly added home appliance categories are independently selected by each locality according to farmers' actual needs, the types of home appliances selected in each region also differ, including 6 categories such as range hoods, electric bicycles, DVD players, rice cookers, gas stoves, and electric pressure cookers. Among them, the newly added category in Beijing, Tianjin, Inner Mongolia, Zhejiang, and Gansu is range hoods; in Shanghai, Hunan, Fujian, Ningxia, and Xinjiang it is gas stoves; in Hebei, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei, and Yunnan it is electric bicycles; in Jilin, Heilongjiang, Guangdong, Hainan, Chongqing, and Sichuan it is rice cookers; in Guangxi, Qinghai, and Tibet it is electric pressure cookers; and in Liaoning and Guizhou it is DVD players.
For farmers and employees of state-owned farms and forestry farms who purchase newly added categories within the province (autonomous region, municipality) where their household registration is located, a financial subsidy of 13% of the sales price is provided. The implementation period for newly added categories is consistent with the deadline for implementation of the Home Appliances Going to the Countryside policy in each locality. Purchases of newly added categories are limited to 2 units (pieces) per household.
This time, each province (autonomous region, municipality) is allowed, in addition to the existing 9 categories of subsidized products, to independently select one newly added practical category to include in the subsidy scope of the Home Appliances Going to the Countryside policy. This can more fully leverage the role of the Home Appliances Going to the Countryside program in stimulating consumption and driving production, and can also give farmers more choices when purchasing home appliances and allow them to receive more tangible benefits.
A maximum subsidy limit is set for each category of subsidized products
The specific models of newly added categories are produced through public bidding, and the provincial-level competent departments of finance, commerce, and industry and information technology are responsible for organizing implementation. A maximum subsidy limit is set for each category of subsidized products. Among them, the maximum subsidy limit for range hoods is 338 yuan, for electric bicycles is 260 yuan, for rice cookers and DVD players is 65 yuan, for gas stoves is 195 yuan, and for electric pressure cookers is 78 yuan.
When conducting bidding, all localities shall comply with the Bidding Law and other relevant national laws and regulations, and shall not engage in local blockade or monopoly, nor indirectly designate enterprises or brand models. The requirements for selected products mainly include the following:
High brand awareness and influence, a relatively high market share, and the enterprise has strong capacity and experience in developing and producing rural home appliance products; performance and safety design, models, effects, and so on are at a relatively high level; compliance with national environmental protection standards; suitability for the rural consumption environment; quality and functions suitable for farmers' use; and strong repair service capacity, with repair outlet coverage able to meet farmers' requirements for after-sales service.
The production, sales, subsidies, and other work for newly added winning bid products shall be managed in accordance with relevant provisions such as the Detailed Rules for the Operation of Home Appliances Going to the Countryside, and relevant information must be entered into the Home Appliances Going to the Countryside information management system. Winning bid production enterprises shall, in accordance with relevant policy provisions for Home Appliances Going to the Countryside, add a unified product identification card and number to each newly added winning bid product one by one, and the appearance and so on of newly added winning bid products shall comply with the usage specifications for the special Home Appliances Going to the Countryside mark.