Small Businesses Demand Refunds Following Supreme Court Ruling
A coalition representing over 800 small businesses affected by President Trump’s global tariffs is now pushing for refunds after a Supreme Court decision favoring them on Friday.
Known as “We Pay the Tariffs,” the group is calling for “full, prompt and automatic” refunds. However, in a press conference, Trump seemed to dismiss this idea, suggesting it wasn’t a valid starting point for discussion.
“Our coalition members, who have built their businesses through hard work—late nights and sweat—have paid billions in tariffs that should never have been imposed,” remarked Dan Anthony, the executive director of the coalition.
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling did not clarify whether the government would need to return any customs revenue already collected.
Trump took a firm stance during his Friday press conference, vowing to implement new 10% tariffs globally, while firmly rejecting the idea of refunds.
“I guess we’ll be in litigation for the next couple of years. They wrote a terrible, flawed judgment—like it wasn’t written by smart individuals,” he commented.
When pressed on the refunds, he responded, “I just gave you the answer, right? It’s not being discussed. It looks like this will head to court for quite a while.”
Despite the President’s position, members of We Pay the Tariffs, which includes various sectors like restaurants and retailers, argue that refunds are essential for their survival.
“The pressure on our business has been enormous, leading to layoffs and the halt of all growth aspirations,” shared Rick Muscat, president of New York-based shoe company Dear Stags Concepts, in a statement. He emphasized that customs charges these additional duties at the item level on relevant declarations, which could make the refund process simpler for U.S. Customs.
According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, last year, the U.S. generated $289 billion in revenue from gross tariffs and specific excise taxes, with an additional $98 billion collected in 2024.
