US Refunds $100 Billion in Tariffs Struck Down by Supreme Court

WASHINGTON: The US government has refunded nearly $100 billion collected from importers in tariffs that were later struck down by the Supreme Court.

According to Reuters, US Customs officials said in a filing with the US Court of International Trade that nearly $100 billion, including tariff payments and interest, had been refunded to importers by the end of July.

The amount represents more than half of the $166 billion in tariffs that were declared unlawful by the US Supreme Court in February this year.

On February 20, the Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) does not give the president the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs on goods imported from US trading partners.

According to the report, the refunds are being made directly to companies that paid the tariffs when the goods were imported. However, some US lawmakers have criticised the process, arguing that the refunds are benefiting large corporate importers rather than ordinary American consumers.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling, President Donald Trump continued pursuing his tariff policy under different legal authorities. The US government subsequently imposed a temporary 10% tariff under a new legal authority and later introduced global tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

The changes have kept the legality and collection of US tariffs at the centre of ongoing debate over the country’s trade policy and its impact on businesses and consumers.