U.S. companies that paid import tariffs may soon be seeing refunds. Earlier this week, Judge Richard Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that companies that paid tariffs invalidated by the Feb. 20 Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decision are legally entitled to refunds. Various sources estimate that these refunds could cost the U.S. government as much as $175 billion.
The invalidated tariffs were applied by President Trump under the guise of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). While the president vowed to reapply the tariffs using alternative means, Judge Eaton’s ruling stated the impacted businesses were “entitled to benefit” from the SCOTUS decision that found the president exceeded his authority.
The high court did not comment on the compensation process for impacted U.S. importers. In fact, at least one SCOTUS judge sided with the U.S. government on the basis that the process of refunding companies would be highly problematic.
Many manufacturers that serve the office technology dealer ecosystem have filed suit in various courts, seeking refunds. We asked them to provide their impressions on the SCOTUS ruling. Please note these remarks were mostly collected prior to Judge Eaton’s ruling on refunds—another example of the highly fluid nature of tariffs.
Ricoh: We are aware of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision concerning federal tariff authority. We are reviewing the ruling and its potential implications. We will continue to follow developments closely and remain focused on supporting our customers and partners.
Toshiba: While the United States Supreme Court decided the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs are invalid, the Court did not address the important question of refunds. At this time, it is unclear when—or if—any refunds may become available. Even if the government should provide refunds, it may not be required to do so, and any determination would likely proceed through the U.S. Court of International Trade, a process that could take months, if not years.
It is also important to note that the full negative impact of the original tariffs was not passed on to our dealers or clients, as Toshiba absorbed as much of the cost as possible. Accordingly, while the recent tariff news is somewhat positive, it does not offset the sunk costs incurred while the IEEPA tariffs were in effect.
We do not expect tariffs to be fully eliminated in the near future. As you may have already heard, the administration has already pivoted to alternative statutory authorities, including Sections 232 and 301 of the Trade Act, to impose a 15% global tariff.
While Toshiba welcomes any tariff relief, significant uncertainty remains. We will continue to monitor developments daily and balance the unknowns of the future with the facts of today, ensuring we remain the strongest OEM partner for our clients and resellers.
Sharp: There is a lot to ‘wait and see’ as to what the next steps will be. While Friday’s court ruling is very significant, it is still unclear what the functional impact will be for our business. Additional tariffs have already been put in place and may change in the coming weeks. We are monitoring the situation on a day-to-day basis and have already provided updates to our dealer community and will continue to do so as we learn more.
Avision: We were dealing with nonstop tariff changes all year, and it made importing a mess. Whether we paid nothing or more than 50% depended on the exact day a container landed, and customs kept reversing charges after the fact. Since our pricing system couldn’t update quickly, we raised prices to cover the tariff, but the chaos meant our margins ended up higher anyway, which didn’t feel right. Taiwan and China rates kept shifting—sometimes zero, sometimes suddenly 10% again—so we never knew what to expect. All the back‑and‑forth created uncertainty, extra costs, and no clear way to recover any tariffs we were wrongly charged. In the end, we don’t see how they’re going to pay the tariffs back.
Representatives for Epson, Katun, Canon, Konica Minolta and Kyocera declined comment. Xerox, HP and Brother did not respond to the request for comment.
For those who are skeptical about businesses seeing any of their tariff money returned, there are sources for partial compensation. According to NPR, Wall Street hedge funds are offering to purchase the claims at a discount from businesses impacted by tariffs—effectively buying up government debt. The hedge funds would then be responsible for chasing down (thus profiting from) full or partial refunds.
