The US Supreme Court's ruling on the legality of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration is expected today. The possibility of a rejection has led to an exponential increase in the number of companies filing appeals to claim billions of dollars in refunds on taxes paid to date. According to Bloomberg, 914 companies have taken action, but the actual figure is likely to be higher as several cases involve multiple properties. Among them is the Franco-Italian eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, which, according to Business People, has requested a refund of charges related to trade with China. Looking through the list, we also find names from the fashion industry such as Reebok and Puma.
The textile and automotive sectors on the front line
Bloomberg reports that after analyzing the 327 companies that filed appeals before mid-December, clothing and textile manufacturers and distributors, along with the automotive industry, dominate the cases, alongside companies producing industrial and electrical equipment. The peak in refund requests was recorded in the weeks following the November 5 hearing, during which Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism about Trump's trade policy.
A complex scenario for national security
A potential victory on refunds would open up an unprecedented and difficult scenario for the United States. In a social media post last November, President Trump warned that the obligation to pay refunds "would be a disaster for national security." As Bloomberg explains, "if the Supreme Court declares the tariffs illegal, it is likely that the judges will leave the issue of refunds to the lower courts. If the U.S. International Trade Court—the main jurisdiction for these legal battles—were to handle this process definitively, any importer wishing to recover their money would have to take legal action."