Tariffs look structural now
A PwC CEO survey cited by Fortune reports that many executives now expect tariffs to persist beyond the current U.S. administration, changing how firms plan supply and sourcing. (fortune.com). Separately, the U.S. will launch a tariff‑refund system on April 20 for importers who paid duties later struck down by the courts, underscoring legal and administrative volatility. (reuters.com)
Tariffs are moving from political risk to operating assumption inside corporate America. A PwC survey of 633 United States executives found 86% now treat tariffs as a permanent planning factor, not a temporary policy swing. (finance.yahoo.com) That survey was conducted in March 2026 and published this week, with executives telling PwC they are changing sourcing, pricing, and investment plans around the expectation that import taxes will outlast the current White House. Fortune cited PwC partner Kristin Bohl saying companies are no longer planning around “short-term tariffs anymore.” (finance.yahoo.com) At the same time, the federal government is building machinery to unwind some tariffs already collected. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it will launch the first phase of its Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, refund tool on April 20, 2026. (cbp.gov) CAPE will sit inside the Automated Commercial Environment portal and let importers and customs brokers file batch refund requests for duties paid under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Phase 1 covers certain unliquidated entries and some entries within 80 days of liquidation, with later phases reserved for more complicated claims. (cbp.gov) The refund system follows a court fight over tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law presidents use for emergency economic measures. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says CAPE is designed to process refunds “pursuant to court order” and with interest, rather than forcing companies to pursue every entry one by one. (cbp.gov) That leaves companies planning for two realities at once: more tariffs may stick, while some past tariffs may be repaid. The same Customs fact sheet says CAPE is being built in phases because the agency is handling refunds across large batches of import entries, not isolated claims. (cbp.gov) PwC’s broader 2026 Global Chief Executive Officer Survey points to the backdrop behind that shift. PwC surveyed 4,454 chief executives across 95 countries and territories between September 30 and November 10, 2025, and said rising tariff concerns were adding to pressure on already weaker revenue confidence. (pwc.com) For importers, the practical details now matter as much as the policy debate. Customs said the CAPE tab will open in importer, organizational broker, and filer sub-accounts in the portal on April 20, and users will submit claims by uploading a comma-separated values file listing entry numbers. (cbp.gov) The result is a trade system that looks less temporary than it did a year ago. Companies are treating tariffs as part of the cost structure, even as Washington opens a new process to return some of the money it already collected. (finance.yahoo.com)
