WASHINGTON, USA – The United States launched a multibillion-dollar refund programme for import tariffs after a court ruling ordered the repayment of up to 166 billion dollars including interest.
New system for billion-dollar refunds
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activated the new CAPE system on 20 April. Through this platform, importers could claim back duties that had been wrongly collected under the IEEPA law.
The basis was a ruling by the Supreme Court, which declared the charges unlawful. Affected companies were therefore entitled to a full refund, plus interest.
Who would now receive money back
Initially, the programme applied only to specific cases. These included import transactions whose customs assessment was still open or had been completed only recently, within the previous 80 days.
Applications could be submitted exclusively by US importers or their customs brokers, provided they were registered in the ACE data portal. Without access to this system, no refund was possible.
Payout within three months
After a successful review, repayments were expected to be made quickly. CBP cited a period of 60 to 90 days until payment.
Outstanding debts to the customs authority were automatically offset. Only the remaining amount was transferred to the companies.
Thailand warns exporters
Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce urged domestic exporters to act swiftly. They were called on to work closely with their US partners in order not to miss potential refunds.
It was particularly important that importers checked their bank details and access to the ACE portal in good time. Further expansions of the system for more complex cases were already planned.
Trade dispute intensifies
At the same time, Thailand was the focus of a US investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act. Washington accused the country of overcapacity and problematic supply chains, among other issues.
Bangkok had already rejected the allegations and intended to defend itself actively in the proceedings. The goal was to safeguard access to the US market for Thai exports.
Hundreds of thousands of companies affected
In total, more than 330,000 importers could benefit from the refunds. The claims covered around 53 million individual import entries.
The programme went back to earlier tariff measures introduced under President Donald Trump. Their reversal was now beginning – on a historic scale.
Your opinion
“Do you think such massive tariff refunds strengthen confidence in international trade rules, or do they create more uncertainty? And how should countries respond to such decisions in your view?”
said the article’s concluding prompt from the original report.