US Halts Illegal Tariffs, Introduces New 15% Duty

U.S. to Halt Collection of Tariffs Ruled Illegal by Supreme Court

The United States will suspend the collection of certain tariffs after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the measures were imposed unlawfully.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it will stop collecting tariffs introduced under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) starting one minute after midnight. In Italy, the change will take effect at 6:01 a.m. tomorrow. The move comes more than three days after the Supreme Court declared the tariffs invalid.

CBP informed shipping operators through its Cargo Systems Messaging Service that all tariff codes related to previous executive orders issued by Donald Trump under IEEPA will be deactivated.

New 15% Global Tariff Replaces Blocked Measures

The suspension coincides with the introduction of a new 15% global tariff announced by Trump, this time based on a different legal authority. The new measure replaces the tariffs struck down by the court.

CBP did not explain why it continued collecting the IEEPA-based tariffs at U.S. ports in the days following the Supreme Court’s ruling. The agency also provided no guidance on potential refunds for importers who paid duties after the decision.

The suspension applies only to tariffs imposed under IEEPA. Other trade measures introduced by Trump remain in force, including those under Section 232 of the national security statute and Section 301 concerning unfair trade practices.

CBP stated that it will issue further instructions to the trade community through additional official messages if necessary.

Potential Refunds Could Reach $175 Billion

According to estimates from the Penn-Wharton Budget Model, the Supreme Court’s ruling could make more than $175 billion in previously collected tariff revenue eligible for refunds. Economists calculated that the IEEPA-based tariffs were generating over $500 million per day in gross revenue.

The Supreme Court struck down the tariffs in a 6–3 decision, concluding that the president exceeded his authority by using a 1977 emergency law to impose sweeping import taxes without clear congressional approval.

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion that the president must show “clear authorization from Congress” to justify such extraordinary use of tariff powers. The court determined that this requirement was not met.

The U.S. Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the authority to levy taxes and duties. While Trump also introduced additional tariffs under other statutes that are not affected by the ruling, the IEEPA-based measures accounted for a substantial share of tariff revenues collected during his second term.