Tariffs to stay; refunds coming

Tariffs are no longer a short-term bet for many United States companies, and a federal refund system for some past tariff payments is set to open April 20. (finance.yahoo.com, cbp.gov) PwC said 86% of 633 United States executives it surveyed in March now treat tariffs as a permanent planning assumption. The consultancy’s broader 2026 chief executive survey, released in January, found tariff concerns rising alongside geopolitical and cyber risks. (finance.yahoo.com, pwc.com) That view hardened even after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. President Donald Trump then imposed a 15% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, and that temporary measure runs through July 24, 2026. (finance.yahoo.com) The refund side is moving on a separate track. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the first phase of its Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries system, called CAPE, will launch on April 20 inside the Automated Commercial Environment portal. (cbp.gov, thompsonhinesmartrade.com) CAPE is a filing tool for importers and customs brokers seeking refunds of duties collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Customs said Phase 1 covers certain unliquidated entries and certain entries within 80 days of liquidation, with later phases reserved for more complicated cases. (cbp.gov) The Court of International Trade is driving the deadline. On April 1, Senior Judge Richard Eaton said the government was making “satisfactory progress” and remained on track for the April 20 rollout in Atmus Filtration, Inc. v. United States. (thompsonhinesmartrade.com) Customs built CAPE to refund duties with interest in batches instead of recalculating and paying each entry one by one. Importers of record or their authorized brokers must upload a comma-separated values file through the web portal, and each declaration can include up to 9,999 entries. (cbp.gov) The first phase is narrower than the full refund universe. Trade lawyers citing court filings said Customs estimates Phase 1 will cover about 63% of entries that paid or deposited International Emergency Economic Powers Act duties, while finally liquidated entries will be handled later. (thompsonhinesmartrade.com) Timing matters for technology importers because tariffs hit cash flow before products are sold. Customs said refunds generally will be issued within 60 to 90 days after a CAPE declaration is accepted, while a March 31 court declaration said the agency expected many Phase 1 refunds within about 45 days absent compliance concerns. (thompsonhinesmartrade.com, cbp.gov) The result is a split picture for importers: companies are planning for tariffs to remain in pricing and supply chains, even as the government starts returning a slice of the duties it was told to unwind. (finance.yahoo.com, cbp.gov)