Logistics giant Fedex wants back the import tariffs paid to the US government.Image: keystone
The US logistics company Fedex is pressing for a refund of tariffs already paid with a lawsuit against the government of President Donald Trump.
02/24/2026, 04:1602/24/2026, 04:16
This is about import fees, which the Supreme Court recently ruled to be unlawful.
The lawsuit filed with the Court of International Trade in New York states that the company is demanding “full repayment” of all customs duties paid, which were based on the emergency law called IEEPA. It is directed against the Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP), which is part of the US Department of Homeland Security.
With the lawsuit, Fedex responded to the US Supreme Court’s decision last Friday. The logistics group argues that it suffered damage because it paid customs duties on imported goods, the legal basis of which has now been found to be unlawful.
Invoking the 1977 emergency law, Trump had bypassed Congress and imposed tariffs on dozens of trading partners since the start of his second term. The Supreme Court declared these tariffs illegal. The judges ruled that the law does not allow the US President to impose tariffs independently. They did not decide whether the government must return customs revenue to importers. Other courts will now have to clarify this.
Swiss companies are also demanding money back
Various Swiss companies are also planning to reclaim the customs duties they have already paid. Last weekend, three well-known companies, Breitling, Läderach and Stöckli, announced that they would reclaim the customs duties they had paid. On Monday, the Swatch Group joined the group: “Our subsidiary in the USA will apply for a retroactive refund of the surcharges paid,” the watch group told the AWP news agency. The knife manufacturer Victorinox also wants to claim repayment.
In general, however, there is uncertainty, both with regard to the tariffs that are now in force and with regard to reclaims for old, illegal tariffs. “As far as the chances of reclaims and the necessary procedure are concerned, a lot is currently still open,” said Noé Blancpain from the Swissmem industry association when asked by the AWP.
After the Supreme Court’s ruling, a wave of demands for refunds of customs duties that had already been paid was expected. According to calculations by the University of Pennsylvania, the US state budget is around $175 billion. That would correspond to around 2.5 percent of the federal government’s budget. (sda/dpa)