Importer Gets Tariff Refund After Supreme Court Victory

A wine importer that led the legal fight against President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs said Wednesday that it had finally received a refund from the government, a payment that could help ease pressure on businesses still dealing with the cost of years of trade disputes.

Victor Schwartz, the owner of VOS Selections, said his company received a deposit of $110,000, or about 95% of what he believes the importer is owed. VOS Selections was the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that overturned most of Trump’s tariffs after finding they had been imposed illegally.

“This is where the rubber meets the road. This is our win in real terms,” Schwartz told CNN.

The refund marks a practical step in a process that had seemed remote even after the court victory. Schwartz said his business is among about 330,000 companies due refunds tied to $168 billion in tariff payments collected before the ruling. U.S. Customs and Border Protection began distributing those funds on Tuesday.

After the Supreme Court decision in February, a judge ordered Customs and Border Protection to build a system quickly to issue refunds. The agency later launched a portal designed to automate much of the process for importers and for the government. Schwartz said he found it easy to use once he understood it and did not need to assemble paperwork by hand or hire outside help.

“The shoutout today goes to Customs and Border Protection,” he said.

Schwartz said he could not tell whether the payment included interest, because the refund notice was not itemized. He said the money would go immediately toward paying suppliers whose bills had been delayed as his company tried to stay afloat during the tariff fight.

The refunds come as other parts of Trump’s tariff agenda remain unsettled. Some companies, including Costco and Nike, are facing lawsuits from consumers who say they should also receive money back because businesses passed along some tariff costs through higher prices. Customs and Border Protection is only responsible for refunding the party listed on tariff entries, leaving companies to decide whether to offer any relief to customers.

The legal battle over tariffs is not over. After the February Supreme Court ruling, Trump imposed a 10% tax on all global imports. The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled last week that he lacked the legal authority to do so, but a federal appeals court this week reinstated the tariffs while it considers the case. The 10% tariff is set to expire in July unless Congress acts to extend it.

At the same time, the administration is preparing other levies under a different law that many trade experts view as less vulnerable to legal challenge than the tariffs struck down by the Supreme Court.