U.S. gov't begins refunding tariffs to businesses

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Monday launched the first phase of a new claims system that will allow importers to seek repayment of tariffs collected under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

Companies and their customs brokers can submit refund requests through CBP's Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) portal using a newly developed tool known as the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries, or CAPE, starting Monday.

Once a claim is validated, CBP will recalculate the duties without the IEEPA tariffs and reliquidate the entries, triggering repayment. The refunds will be paid directly to the businesses that originally paid the tariffs, local media reported Monday.

Valid refunds will generally be issued within 60 to 90 days after a claim is accepted, CBP said, though more complex cases could take longer.

CBP is rolling out the refund process in phases. Court filings show that more than 330,000 importers paid duties on over 53 million shipments, totaling roughly 166 billion U.S. dollars.

The Supreme Court ruled in February that U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs under IEEPA are unconstitutional. It is Congress, not the president, that holds authority over such taxes.

Following the ruling, a judge at the U.S. Court of International Trade directed CBP to remove the tariffs from affected entries and refund any excess duties collected, along with interest.

U.S. gov't begins refunding tariffs to businesses

U.S. gov't begins refunding tariffs to businesses

China and the United States share broad space for cooperation and extensive common interests, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said on Monday.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with Myron Brilliant, senior advisor to the U.S. consulting firm Albright Stonebridge Group.

He said that China's economy got off to a good start in the first quarter this year, with major indicators registering relatively solid growth, which demonstrated the strong resilience and stability of the Chinese economy.

It is hoped that Albright Stonebridge Group would continue to play an active role in promoting the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-U.S. economic and trade relations, the vice premier added.

Brilliant said that a sound and stable economic and trade relationship between the United States and China is beneficial to both countries and the world, while expressing readiness to serve as a bridge in further promoting the deepening of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

China, U.S. share broad space for cooperation, extensive common interests: Chinese vice premier