The administration of US President Donald Trump has initiated the process of returning more than $166 billion collected from customs duties that the Supreme Court declared unlawful, The Guardian reports.

On April 20, the government launched the Cape online system to accept applications from companies seeking compensation for paid tariffs. Currently, the system covers approximately 63% of import operations falling under the disputed tariffs. The remaining applications are expected to be processed later.

Only companies that officially paid the duties — primarily importers and large corporations — are eligible for compensation. Millions of Americans who faced price increases on everything from electronics to clothing will not receive direct compensation.

FedEx has announced it will refund customers who paid customs duties. Costco indicated it may lower product prices if it receives compensation.

According to preliminary estimates, reviewing applications and returning funds will take 60 to 90 days after submission.

On February 20, the US Supreme Court ruled that the tariffs imposed unilaterally by Donald Trump in April 2025 against most countries were illegal. The court concluded that Trump exceeded his authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose the tariffs. A few days later, US Customs and Border Protection stopped collecting the duties.

More than 3,000 companies have filed lawsuits against the administration to recover the funds. Some lawsuits were filed even before the Supreme Court's decision. Prominent claimants include Skechers, Revlon, Toyota, Nintendo of America, FedEx, and Costco.

Source: www.gazeta.uz