U.S. tariff refunds set

U.S. importers will be able to start filing for tariff refunds on April 20, after the Supreme Court ruled on February 20 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not let the president impose those duties. (supremecourt.gov; cbp.gov) U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the first phase of its new Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries tool, or CAPE, will open in the Automated Commercial Environment portal on April 20. Phase 1 covers most entries that are still unliquidated or are within 80 days of liquidation. (cbp.gov) Importers of record and customs brokers will submit refund claims by uploading a comma-separated values file listing entry numbers, and each filing can include up to 9,999 entries. Customs said refunds will be paid electronically and bank account information must already be on file in the portal. (cbp.gov; cbp.gov) The Supreme Court case grew out of tariffs President Donald Trump imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act on goods from Canada, Mexico and China tied to fentanyl trafficking, and on imports from all trading partners tied to trade deficits. The Court said the statute did not authorize tariffs and left lower-court relief in place. (supremecourt.gov) Customs built CAPE because the refund job is large. Reuters reported the system is meant to handle about $166 billion in tariff repayments, with Customs telling a court it had finished the initial phase of development. (reuters.com; cbp.gov) The ruling did not end the administration’s broader tariff push. On February 20, Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 to impose a temporary import duty for 150 days, and the White House said the duty would take effect on February 24. (whitehouse.gov; whitehouse.gov) The proclamation says the Section 122 duty runs through July 24, 2026, and an annex to the order sets that window from 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on February 24 to 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on July 24. The White House fact sheet described the rate as 10% ad valorem and listed exemptions for products including some pharmaceuticals, electronics, energy products and vehicles. (whitehouse.gov; whitehouse.gov) Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on April 14 that the administration could use Section 301 trade investigations to restore earlier tariff levels by the beginning of July. He said the Supreme Court decision was a setback, but not the end of the tariff program. (bloomberg.com) Companies are already planning for a longer stretch of higher import costs. A PwC-backed report published April 14 said 86% of 633 U.S. executives surveyed last month now treat tariffs as a permanent planning assumption. (aol.com) So the next marker is April 20: that is when businesses can begin asking for money back from the old International Emergency Economic Powers Act tariffs, even as the White House works to keep other tariffs in place through the summer. (cbp.gov; bloomberg.com)