The U.S. trade court has allowed thousands of businesses affected by the Trump administration's tariff wall measures to request refunds totaling more than $130 billion, following the Supreme Court's decision to annul the emergency authority-based tariff collection.
On 4 Mar 2026 GMT+7, the U.S. International Trade Court ordered the government to refund import taxes collected from companies under former President Donald Trump's tariff measures, after the Supreme Court previously invalidated those measures.
Judge Richard Eaton stated that importers charged tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) have the right to receive refunds following the Supreme Court's ruling.
This ruling stems from a case filed by Atmus Filtration, an air filtration company in Tennessee, but the judge indicated he would be the sole adjudicator for all related tariff refund cases. Although the refund process remains unclear, the court order represents a significant policy challenge to the Trump administration, which had imposed the tariffs and expressed dissatisfaction at the prospect of repaying companies.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessette said the government is likely to announce a global import tariff rate of 15% this week, up from 10%, to replace the tariffs recently struck down by the Supreme Court. Data shows that the Trump administration's emergency authority tariffs under IEEPA generated approximately $130 billion (about 4.7 trillion baht) in revenue for the U.S. government.
Many companies, including global shipping and postal giant FedEx, have filed suits seeking refunds. The small business group We Pay the Tariffs called the court ruling a “victory for small businesses” and urged the government to provide rapid and automatic reimbursement.
Previously, in April last year, Trump announced the “Liberation Day tariffs” on goods from several countries, starting at 10% with some items up to 50%, which led to trade negotiations between the U.S. and multiple nations.
However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month to cancel these tariff measures, including some tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada, and China, on the grounds that the use of emergency powers exceeded the legal limits.
Source: CNN