National Taxpayers Union (NTU) on Friday applauded the Supreme Court’s rejection of tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in a decision today by Chief Justice John Roberts.
“If left in place, the tariffs would have cost $2.5 trillion over the next 11 years, the equivalent of more than $1,600 a year for every American household,” said Bryan Riley, Director of NTU’s Free Trade Initiative. “At a time when many Americans are struggling to pay their bills and afford basic necessities, this ruling will provide taxpayers with welcome relief.”
NTU Foundation’s Taxpayer Defense Center submitted a brief in the case, highlighting an NTU letter signed by 463 economists, including nine Nobel laureates, contending that trade deficits do not represent an extraordinary threat to the United States.
NTU Foundation lawyers Joe Bishop-Henchman and Tyler Martinez accurately predicted where each justice ended up in the case.
“The next step is that billions of dollars must now be refunded to taxpayers,” Bishop-Henchman said. “Future tariffs must be submitted to Congress for consideration or use existing procedures under existing laws, rather than imposed in a sweeping manner through executive action. We continue to urge Congress to assert its constitutional authority over import duties to avoid the possibility of future administrations imposing taxes by executive action.”
“The benefits of terminating the tariffs include increased economic growth, lower input costs for our farmers and manufacturers, increased exports, better relations with U.S. allies, and increased foreign investment in the United States,” Riley added. “This ruling thwarts a massive tax increase, bolstering the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to cut taxes and regulations.”
National Taxpayers Union is the only free-market organization for taxpayers that unites effective advocacy with useful research about how to limit taxes, spending, and regulation at every level and branch of government—state, federal, administrative, and judicial.
Email rharden@ntu.org to schedule an interview on the ruling with Bryan Riley, Director of the Free Trade Initiative, or Joe Bishop-Henchman, NTU Foundation Executive Vice President. 
National Taxpayers Union Foundation attorneys Joe Bishop-Henchman and Tyler Martinez accurately predicted how the justices would rule after listening to oral arguments late last year.