U.S. importers seeking tariff refunds can breathe a little easier.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a Tuesday statement that it’s modernizing the refund process. It will be purely electronic starting Feb. 6, and the Treasury Department will cease issuing paper checks — a move CBP says will limit fraud and improper payments.
"Enhancing ACE enables secure electronic refunds, faster payments, fewer errors and a simplified process for importers, brokers and refund recipients," said Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner for CBP’s Office of Trade Susan Thomas, referring to the Automated Commercial Environment data portal.
The updates introduce a secure online tool …
U.S. importers seeking tariff refunds can breathe a little easier.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a Tuesday statement that it’s modernizing the refund process. It will be purely electronic starting Feb. 6, and the Treasury Department will cease issuing paper checks — a move CBP says will limit fraud and improper payments.
"Enhancing ACE enables secure electronic refunds, faster payments, fewer errors and a simplified process for importers, brokers and refund recipients," said Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner for CBP’s Office of Trade Susan Thomas, referring to the Automated Commercial Environment data portal.
The updates introduce a secure online tool to authorize refunds, along with a streamlined application process to establish importer accounts.
It comes as the Supreme Court designated Friday as an opinion day, setting it as the first day in which a ruling could be issued on the fate of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs. The high court doesn’t signal ahead of time which decisions will be released at 10 A.M.
At stake are the so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs that Trump imposed under the emergency authority drawn from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. The act had never been applied to generate import tax revenue before.
If the Supreme Court decides against the Trump administration, not all import taxes could be struck down. Tariffs unaffected by the case include 50% steel and aluminum tariffs, coupled with a battering ram of import taxes on lumber, furniture, and copper.
Trump has argued that his signature tariffs are a critical tool to achieve his trade agenda, namely pushing foreign governments to renegotiate trade agreements so they’re more "fair" towards the U.S. "I hope they do what’s good for our country. I hope they do the right thing," Trump said on Tuesday during a speech for House Republicans at the Kennedy Center. "The president has to be able to wheel and deal with tariffs.”
CBP said in December that it had collected $200 billion in tariff revenue since the start of Trump’s second term. About $88 billion worth of import taxes collected through the end of October could be affected by the decision, per CBP data. Companies that rely on selling imported products, including Costco, sued the U.S. government last month in anticipation of the decision.
The U.S. government previously provided tariff refunds to importers in the late 1990s, but it was a burdensome process for certain importers, taking up to two years to resolve.