If a large class of Trump tariffs are ruled illegal, is there money back?

I'm David Brancaccio at Los Angeles. If the Supreme Court rules President Trump's tariffs are illegal, it could go either way.

Costco wants a refund. The retail chain is suing the Trump administration to get money back if the

tariff strategy doesn't hold up. Tariffs are taxes that have been pouring into the U.S. Treasury to

pay for other spending. Marketplaces Henry App reports. The lawsuits that brought President Trump's

tariffs before the Supreme Court last month were led by small businesses and Democratic state

attorneys general. But now it's bigger companies,

including Costco, that are suing to make sure they're in line for a refund, also suing our

cosmetics company Revlon and motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki Motors. Costco says its suit is necessary

because there's no guarantee they'll be repaid if the court strikes down the tariffs.

And several justices in the court's conservative majority appeared skeptical of the administration's

arguments last month. If the justices determined the tariffs were imposed illegally and

companies need to be refunded, it's not clear how that process would work. U.S. firms have paid

over $100 billion in tariffs this year, according to Bloomberg.

Costco said in its suit that it's been paying the duties, quote, on a continuous basis,

but did not specify exactly how much.

It's suing to be refunded for all of the tariffs it's paid plus interest.

The Supreme Court has fast-tracked the tariff case. The court could

rule as soon as the end of the year. I'm Henry App for Marketplace. Markets, S&P futures are up

three-tenths of one percent. NASDAQ futures are up four-tenths of a percent now, according

to Adobe Analytics. Online spending on what's dubbed Cyber Monday yesterday, up four and a half percent from year earlier. That's less than predicted. When we last got retail inflation data, September, because of the government shutdown, prices had risen 3% in a year. Just a modest jump then in spending for yesterday in real terms if these preliminary numbers stick.

Thank you. spending for yesterday in real terms if these preliminary numbers stick. We left footprints, flags, and flotsam and jetsam on the moon, but something we did not leave is an economy.

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