Cue Trump's de Minimis Refund Sh*tshow

Despite Trump slow-walking the refunds owed to the Americans who had to pay his illegal import taxes, legal clarity about getting refunds appears to be on the way, at least for those who were hit the hardest.

But what of the large number of individuals slammed by the taxes when Trump ended the de minimis exemption for items worth under $800.00?

Oddly enough, lots of them aren't happy, and they're not behaving like well-oiled wheels about it.

They want their money back.

Fortunately for most, major shippers who paid the tariffs before passing them on plan to repay them as soon as they have clarity on their own refunds from the government:

Natasha Amadi, a spokeswoman for United Parcel Service, said the company would support customers in obtaining refunds of IEEPA tariffs once a legal framework was established, adding that this applied to "customers of all sizes."

In a statement, Glennah Ivey-Walker, a spokeswoman for DHL, said that when there was legal guidance for the refund process, the company would "communicate with our customers and take appropriate actions." ...

This is fortunate for them, and good business for the shippers, but there is still plenty of chaos left to go around. Some shippers charged processing fees, which customers want returned along with the tariff loot. People who paid tariffs to overseas entities clearly won't have legal recourse.

Indicative of the confusion, the report discusses people who got screwed by tariffs at the retail level, even though the de minimis exemption has nothing to do with the vast majority of these people. That said, folks who had to pay higher prices at retailers might see lower prices, rather than refunds, if Costco is an indication. (As prices wouldn't show a tax component, this makes sense, but lots of people won't see it.)

And, predictably, class action lawsuits are about to start flying around.

Come November, don't forget that Trump and his party are all in for Round Two, even though they already know the new tariffs are also illegal, and the refund fight is just a small part of what they are putting us through.

-- CAV