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Denver Small Business Plays the Waiting Game as U.S. Government Opens Tariff Refund Applications
The portal covers more than $166 billion in duties and about 330,000 importers, with refunds expected to take 60 to 90 days after approval.
- On Monday, the Trump administration launched the CAPE refund portal to return more than $166 billion in illegal tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court in February.
- Scott Lincicome, vice president for general economics at the Cato Institute, reports the outstanding balance accrues roughly $650 million in interest monthly, affecting more than 330,000 importers who paid duties on over 53 million entries.
- The CAPE system currently processes about 63% of import entries due to technical limitations, with customs officials expecting 60 to 90 days to issue refunds after accepting an importer's filing.
- Alex Durante, senior economist at the Tax Foundation, doubts businesses will exhibit an "immediate urge to pass all that back to consumers," as companies brace for new tariffs under the 1974 Trade Act.
- While more than 3,000 businesses sued to secure refunds before the portal launched, Melkon Khosrovian, co-founder of Greenbar Distillery in Los Angeles, admitted he didn't have high hopes of receiving payment soon.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Denver small business plays the waiting game as U.S. government opens tariff refund applications
On Monday, the United States government took its first steps towards refunding more than $160 billion in tariffs collected last year. Businesses are now able to request refunds through an online portal, but a store here in Denver said there are still plenty of unknowns on when or if that money will return to them.
This amount corresponds to tariffs that were collected under this Trump administration and that the Supreme Court declared illegal last February
Show me the money: Businesses line up for $166 billion in refunds from Trump’s illegal tariffs
Cans used for Lost Boy cider in Alexandria, Virginia, cost the small business more because of increased aluminum tariffs. Tristan Wright, founder and president of Lost Boy, stands near his production line on Feb. 6, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)WASHINGTON — The U.S. Customs and Border Protection tariff refund system went live Monday, marking what small business advocates call a “complex” first step for entrepreneurs to recoup $1…
Washington.- When President Donald Trump unveiled his extensive global tariffs last spring, he boasted that they would generate unexpected profits and “make America rich again.” But after suffering a significant defeat before the Supreme Court, Trump is about to return the money. On Monday, the Trump administration plans to take the first steps to return more than $166 billion of collected tariffs that were cancelled in February. A little over a…
American importers owed billions in refunds for tariffs
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- American importers are owed $166 billion plus interest in tariff refunds and importers of record who made tariff payments, or authorized customs brokers acting on their behalf, can apply for these. The Supreme Court struck down most of President Donald Trump's tariffs in February.
The U.S. government, presided over by Donald Trump, has begun Monday’s return of nearly $166 billion of improperly charged tariffs following the Supreme Court’s decision of last February declaring them illegal.
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