If it seems like everything is expensive today, it may not be just because of inflation.
When rates were raised, those costs were passed on to consumers or businesses.
And now that some of last year’s tariffs have been deemed unconstitutional, companies want their money back.
Except, supposedly, Amazon.
Tariff lawsuits abound
President Donald Trump declared several rounds of emergency tariffs when he took office as a way to pressure foreign countries to sign trade deals.
Many of the president’s sweeping emergency tariffs were ruled illegal by the Supreme Court in March, the AP reported. The court ruled that the Constitution states that taxes belong to Congress, not the office of the President.
“The Framers did not grant any part of the taxing power to the executive branch,” wrote Chief Justice John Roberts.
Thousands of companies sued the U.S. government over its sweeping tariffs after the ruling, as many were left in charge of collecting the tariffs.
The US government faces tariff problems
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According to the Financial Times, more than 900 legal challenges were filed after the Supreme Court ruled against the tariffs.
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FedEx has sued the Trump administration for a full refund of the tariffs the company had to pay, ABC7 reported.
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Meanwhile, Sony is being sued by two players who claim the company received a significant amount of money due to tariffs, Wnhub reported.
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States and small businesses have also banded together to challenge the 10% tax that Trump implemented after the Supreme Court ruling, The New York Times reported.
While many of the lawsuits so far have involved companies, consumers are also beginning to seek recovery of money collected on overseas packages.
Amazon faces its own tariff lawsuit
Amazon is one of the first retailers to face a class-action lawsuit over its tariff collection.
A class action lawsuit filed in Seattle on May 5 claims that Amazon has made hundreds of millions of dollars that should be returned to customers.
The lawsuit filed by law firm Hagens Berman alleges that Amazon raised prices on imported goods and, since the Supreme Court ruling, can recoup those costs but has refused to do so.
“Not because (Amazon) lacks a legal basis to do so, but because it seeks to curry favor with Trump by allowing the federal government to withhold funds,” the court document says.
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This decision by Amazon is at the expense of consumers, the lawsuit claims.