The US government has so far returned $81 billion in tariffs to importers in this fiscal year, collected before the Supreme Court ruled them illegal, according to budget data published on Monday, as reported by the Guardian.
The US Supreme Court in February struck down much of the tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump upon his return to office, leaving the state owing money to companies that had paid them. A Treasury Department official told journalists that the sharp rise in refunds was almost entirely due to this ruling, with the largest portion paid out in May and June.
The scale is evident from a comparison: in the same period of the previous fiscal year, tariff refunds amounted to just $5 billion. The current US fiscal year began in October 2025.
Tariffs have been a central element of Trump’s economic policy since he returned to office last year. He presented them as a lever to bring industry back to the country, secure better trade deals, and reduce the budget deficit; tariff revenue did indeed slightly reduce the deficit last year. However, the deficit is rising again: in the first nine months of the fiscal year, it reached $1,367 billion, two per cent higher than the previous year.
Washington alone spent more than $1,000 billion on interest on the public debt, an increase of 14 per cent, while military spending rose by five per cent due to the war in the Middle East.
The temporary general tariff of ten per cent expires on 24 July, and the White House, the Guardian reports, is preparing new fees linked to the enforcement of regulations on forced labour and industrial overcapacity.
