US importers sound wary of discussing tariff refunds publicly for a host of reasons — from political risks and legal jeopardy, to lingering uncertainty about how the next phases of the process will play out.
Just over a month ago, the Customs and Border Protection agency opened a refund portal for more than 330,000 firms that paid import taxes under President Donald Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Only about 5% of the 3,000 largest publicly traded US companies mentioned refunds in the context of Trump’s now-illegal tariffs, according to a