Eva St. Clair, co-owner of a children’s fashion brand and Small Businesses Against Tariffs participant, was quoted in Reuters talking about the Supreme Court’s tariff ruling:
But the decision also opened a bureaucratic labyrinth for importers, lawyers, and government officials, because the court did not say how the government should return the estimated $175 billion it had already collected. Because businesses expect a long wait for refunds, consumers shouldn’t expect to see relief either, small business owners told Reuters, as Trump imposes new tariffs.
“We absorbed almost all of the cost of the tariffs; we don’t think there’s a reason to, like, pay anybody back,” said Eva St. Clair, co-owner of apparel company Princess Awesome. The company, which in April brought one of the first legal challenges against the emergency tariffs, paid $30,000 in levies, and survived in part by setting up a tip jar for customers that raised $8,000, she said.
Read the piece here (paywall).