More than US$15,000 in customs fees were recovered by an American businesswoman following a US Supreme Court ruling that invalidated duties imposed during former President Donald Trump’s administration. The reimbursement process, however, was described as confusing and full of bureaucratic obstacles by the beneficiary.
Supreme Court decision releases fee refunds for thousands of companies
The United States Supreme Court ruled in February that the “Liberation Day” tariffs established by the Trump administration were illegal. This decision paved the way for hundreds of thousands of American companies to request reimbursement of amounts unduly paid, although the procedure for recovering the money is complex.
On May 12, businesswoman Sarah Wells was pleasantly surprised to find that almost US$10,000 had been credited to her bank account without warning. This was the first of two deposits made by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, totaling $15,741 in tariff refunds.
Monitoring of values and bureaucracy faced by businesswomen
Wells’ company, which focuses on selling products for breastfeeding mothers such as breast pumps, bags and clothing, was hit hard by the extra taxes during the first two years of the Trump administration. In addition to paying thousands of dollars in additional fees, the businesswoman estimates she lost around US$500,000 in sales last summer due to supply chain disruptions caused by the new international fees. She characterized her journey with tariffs as a true “saga.”
The second installment of the refund, appearing in Wells’ account on June 25, also arrived without prior communication. At 45 years old, the businesswoman emphasized that the path to getting the amounts back was arduous, describing the system as “full of acronyms, strange vocabulary, complicated and full of flaws”, in addition to having “all kinds of strange peculiarities” on the CBP portal.
Complexity of the federal system still delays recovery of amounts owed
The situation experienced by Sarah Wells reflects the challenges faced by many other entrepreneurs seeking to recover fees. The difficulty in navigating government systems and the lack of clarity in information remain significant barriers for companies, especially small ones, to access the amounts to which they are entitled.
Despite having received his refunds, Wells still expresses concern that the issue is far from being fully resolved. The experience highlights the importance of a more transparent and accessible process for returning tariffs, ensuring that justice is done for all companies affected by the old tax policy.