特朗普关税退款需要“500年”？

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the ongoing challenges faced by thousands of U.S. companies in obtaining tariff refunds, highlighting the slow and complex refund process managed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) [3]. Refund System Development - The CBP has reported that the development of a new automated commercial environment (ACE) system is underway, with progress ranging from 40% to 80% across its four components [5]. - Once the system is operational, it is expected to handle the majority of refund applications during the initial development phase [6]. - The current manual processing of refund applications is estimated to take 443 million hours, equivalent to 506 years, indicating significant inefficiencies in the existing system [7]. Refund Initiation Timeline - Companies are pressing for the swift return of $166 billion in tariffs declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, but the CBP has indicated that the refund process will take time [9]. - The CBP aims to have the new system feature ready within 45 days, potentially allowing refunds to begin by the end of April [10]. - However, there are doubts about whether the new functionality will be ready on time, and even if it is, the actual refund process could take several months due to various factors [10]. Potential Legal Actions - The U.S. government retains the right to appeal the International Trade Court's ruling before May 4, which could lead to further delays and uncertainties for importers and taxpayers [12]. - If the implementation of the refund process is not smooth, the court may reinstate its orders, and the government may consider further appeals [13]. - The Cato Institute has criticized the government's potential appeal as a costly and ungracious effort, warning that administrative hurdles could disproportionately affect small businesses [14].