Most of the taxes President Donald Trump imposed on imported goods last year are illegal, the Supreme Court ruled on Friday, but it seems unlikely American consumers will get their money back.
The tariffs Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act raised more than $160 billion in revenue for the federal government. It’s not clear what will happen to that money — the Supreme Court ruling doesn’t say. Multiple companies had sued to demand refunds even before the high court’s ruling, and the administration has previously indicated it would issue refunds if the tariffs were struck down.
But Trump said Friday the refund question will become a matter of litigation and complained that the court didn’t say what to do.
“Wouldn’t you think they would have put one sentence in there saying to keep the money or don’t keep the money? I guess it has to get litigated for the next two years,” Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room.
Corporations that imported items paid the tariffs, but likely recouped a portion of the cost by charging higher prices for their products. Businesses with records of their import and tax payments will have documentation to pursue a refund. But it’s hard to see how consumers, who were nickel-and-dimed on individual purchases, could get their money back.
