New York, February 21 (). US business groups, advocacy organizations and lawyers welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision on tariffs. The court declared US President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to impose tariffs invalid. Advocacy and business groups called the decision a reaffirmation of Congressional authority and a relief for businesses.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court determined that the executive branch abused its authority by using emergency power to impose import taxes on most trading partners and struck down many of last year’s tariffs as unlawful.
Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer of the US Chamber of Commerce, said on Friday that this decision is good news for businesses and consumers. He said that due to tariffs, companies have faced significant cost increases and supply-chain disruptions.
He urged the government to take swift action to refund illegally collected duties and reset the entire tariff policy to boost economic growth and reduce costs for households.
We Pay the Tariffs, a small business advocacy group, also called for full, swift and automatic refunds, saying many of its members had paid billions of dollars in duties that should never have been imposed.
According to the report of Xinhua news agency, Republican US Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky also welcomed the decision. “The hollow benefits of a big trade war with America’s friends were clear long before today’s decision. The American people already know that when Washington imposes artificial barriers, it becomes more expensive to make and buy at home,” McConnell said in a statement.
Edward Fishman was previously a State Department and Finance official and is now at the Council on Foreign Relations. He said the decision could reduce the use of tariffs as a rapid-response geoeconomic tool, although they could still be used in trade negotiations through other legal means.
Some business groups warned that uncertainty remains and expressed concern that tariffs could be reimposed through other legal means.
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KK/AS
