Judge Urges Faster Refunds on Illegal Tariffs

A U.S. trade judge has urged officials to expedite refunding over $10 billion from illegal tariffs deemed unlawful by the Supreme Court. Judge Eaton highlights delayed claims creating unfair advantages for large importers. The complexities of liquidated tariffs and potential class actions pose additional challenges.

A U.S. trade judge is pressing Trump administration officials to expedite the refund of over $10 billion collected from illegal tariffs, as deemed by the Supreme Court. Judge Richard Eaton criticized delays in claims processing that favor large importers, citing this as an unintended outcome of the current refund system.

Eaton emphasized that the delay creates a 'growing inequity' between importers who hire customs brokers and smaller businesses that do not. He refrained from issuing a new order but expressed dissatisfaction with the administration appealing his March 4 directive, which mandates refunds of all duties.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has begun processing over $90 billion of the estimated $127 billion in refunds, prioritizing simpler cases. However, the complex issue of liquidated tariffs remains unresolved, as officials say full refunds cannot be processed simultaneously. The debate centers on whether to establish a class action to streamline the process.