The US launches reimbursement of $166,000 million in tariffs annulled by the Supreme Court

The United States Government began the process this Monday to return up to $166,000 million on illegally collected tariffsfollowing a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated a key part of the trade policy promoted by President Donald Trump.

The measure marks the start of what could become the largest tariff refund in the country’s history. The Customs and Border Protection Service (CBP) launched the digital system called CAPEdesigned specifically to channel returns.

According to official estimates, in this first phase it is expected to repay about $127,000 million aa long way of companies who were forced to pay levies imposed under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) of 1977, a regulation that the highest court ruled was improperly used by the Executive.

The digital system, known as CAPE, will allow a long way of importers to submit refund requests for payments made in the last year. According to authorities, this stage will cover approximately 63% of eligible companiesfocusing on tariffs that are still under review and have not been definitively settled.

Companies rush to request million-dollar refunds

Since the early hours of Monday, affected companies began to file claims en masse. More than 3,000 companies, including giants such as Costco and FedEx, have filed lawsuits or administrative processes to recover the funds.

Sector executives pointed out that, although the system has functioned without collapsing, it has presented intermittent failures due to high demand. Still, many companies chose to submit their applications immediately due to uncertainty about processing times.

According to official data, more than 330,000 importers paid these tariffs for about fifty-three million shipments.. However, as of early April, only about 56,500 had completed the necessary requirements to receive electronic refunds.

The government estimates that once applications are approved, payments could be issued within 60 to 90 days, although it warned that errors in documentation or additional reviews could delay the process.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously warned that the refund process could drag on for months or even years.due to its complexity and the volume of cases.

Court ruling hits Trump’s trade strategy

The origin of these refunds lies in the decision of the highest court, which in a vote of 6 to 3 determined that Trump did not have authority to apply tariffs in peacetime under the IEEPA. The ruling annulled so-called “reciprocal” levies and other measures imposed on trading partners such as Mexico and Canada.

Despite the judicial setback, the administration responded by implementing a new temporary 10% global tariff under section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, effective for 150 days, maintaining uncertainty in the trade environment.

The impact of these tariffs rippled through the economy. Many companies had to absorb the costs, pass them on to consumers or reconfigure their supply chains. However, experts point out that consumers will hardly receive direct compensation, despite having assumed a large part of the increase in prices.

As the CAPE system continues to expand to include older payments, the process could face new legal and administrative challenges. In the short term, the massive refund represents both financial relief for thousands of companies and a new chapter in the dispute over US trade policy.

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