U.S. refunds $100bn in tariffs

The Trump administration said on August 5 that it has refunded about $100 billion of tariff revenue collected under President Donald Trump’s 2025 “liberation day” duties, after the Supreme Court ruled those levies unlawful. The figure was disclosed in a filing by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the U.S. Court of International Trade and represents roughly 60% of the $166 billion the government says it collected under the policy. The Supreme Court held on February 20 that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, did not authorize the president to impose tariffs. The ruling invalidated the broad 2025 tariff program and set off a refund process for importers that had paid the duties. ### Which tariffs were refunded? The February 20 Supreme Court ruling covered the tariffs Trump imposed under IEEPA, including the April 2025 “liberation day” reciprocal duties and other IEEPA-based tariffs tied to trafficking and immigration claims. In Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump and Trump v. V.O.S. Selections, Inc., the court said IEEPA does not authorize presidential tariffs and sent the matter back for further proceedings. (cnbc.com) The $100 billion disclosed this week does not mean the process is finished. CNBC reported that the administration said the refunds amount to about 60% of the total haul, leaving tens of billions still to be processed. Trade lawyers have said the remaining claims depend on importer filings and administrative review through Customs and the Treasury. ### Which companies have disclosed large payouts? (supremecourt.gov) Apple, Amazon and Nike are among the companies that have disclosed or been estimated to have received large refunds tied to the reversal. Yahoo Finance reported that Apple got an estimated $2.2 billion tariff refund last quarter, Amazon got $600 million and Nike got $300 million. (cnbc.com) Amazon’s $600 million figure came from Chief Financial Officer Brian Olsavsky, who told analysts on the company’s earnings call that Amazon had received “approximately $600 million” in the second quarter. CNBC reported that Amazon said it intends to return some of that cash to customers. Apple’s figure was an estimate derived from the company’s reported margins. Yahoo Finance said Apple reported a favorable impact of about 2 percentage points on gross margin from tariff refunds, implying about $2.19 billion based on quarterly revenue. (finance.yahoo.com) Nike executives, meanwhile, said on a June 30 earnings call that the company had collected more than $300 million in cash related to tariff refund claims by the end of the quarter. (cnbc.com) ### Why are consumers mostly not getting money back? Yahoo Finance reported that consumers who paid higher prices as tariff costs moved through the economy are getting little or nothing back because the refund system is structured around who paid Customs directly. Importers of record, not end buyers, are the parties eligible to claim refunds from the government. (finance.yahoo.com) Amazon is one exception in limited cases. CNBC and Yahoo Finance reported that the company said it would pass some of its refund money back to customers where it can trace the charge and repayment. ### What does the court record show now? U.S. Customs and Border Protection disclosed the $100 billion figure in a filing Tuesday in the Court of International Trade, according to CNBC and UPI. (finance.yahoo.com) The filing said refunds had been sent to the Treasury Department for disbursement. The next step remains administrative rather than legislative. Additional importer claims are still moving through the Customs refund process in the Court of International Trade case record, and the government has said the total owed is about $166 billion. (cnbc.com 1) (cnbc.com 2)