US Refunds $100Bn of $165Bn in Tariffs Ruled Illegal

The refunds represent 60% of the total tariff income. In February, the supreme court struck down a chunk of the extra tariffs, forcing the government to return money to companies that had paid them. Trump has pitched tariffs as a solution for the US economy, but the federal deficit hit $1.37tn in the first nine months of the fiscal year, up 2% from the same period in 2025. Last month, Trump imposed fresh tariffs on more than 80 countries, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, including the UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, India, China and the EU's 27 member states, under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, aimed at countries engaging in forced labour. This week, a coalition of 25 US states sued the administration over the levies, calling them a pretext for replacing the struck-down import taxes, and asked the CIT to stop the tariffs, declare them unlawful and order refunds.