US customs suspends tariff collection imposed by Trump
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it will stop collecting tariffs imposed under the International Economic Emergency Authorities Act as of 12:01 am EDT (05:01 GMT) on Tuesday, more than three days after the US Supreme Court ruled the tariffs illegal.
In a letter to shipping companies via its messaging systems, the agency said it would disable all tariff codes associated with President Donald Trump’s previous orders issued under the law, with enforcement set to begin on Tuesday.
The decision to halt the collection comes in conjunction with a new move by Trump to impose an alternative 15% global tariff, this time relying on a different legal authority, to offset the tariffs that the Supreme Court struck down on Friday.
The agency didn’t explain why fees at ports of entry continued to be collected in the days following the ruling, nor did it provide any details about the possibility that the government would refund the amounts previously paid by importers.
Previous estimates suggest that the value of the money that the US government may have to return to importers could be as high as $175 billion.
On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled by a six-to-three majority that Trump did not have the authority to impose tariffs based on a 1977 law that allows the executive branch to take extraordinary economic measures in emergencies without prior congressional approval, disrupting global trade.
In a swift response to the ruling, Trump announced the start of a 10% global tariff on imports under a different legal basis, before later raising it to 15% on Saturday, reflecting continued trade tensions and their potential repercussions on international markets.
