Nevada businesses eager for tariff refunds

LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada businesses eager for tariff refunds are working to navigate the reimbursement process launched this week by the federal government.

Customs and Border Protection launched an online portal for importers to file for reimbursement. Court documents filed by CBP show 330,000 “importers” paid $166 billion through the Trump Administration’s emergency tariffs.

The true number of businesses expecting a refund is unknown; as FOX5 has learned, many expect refunds through a shipping company that passed on the costs to small or large businesses and retailers.

RELATED: Tariffs drive up grocery prices, squeeze independent stores

It’s unbelievable, honestly," said Jana Hajiyerou of Pop In Extensions, a mother-daughter company based here in Southern Nevada, hopeful for financial reimbursement. “We’re going forward with all of the goals that we had last year for our growth,” she said.

The business owner expects to recover most of the costs from tariffs. “It cost us probably over $30,000 just to receive the orders that we needed to survive. ”That’s just kind of the bare minimum that it costs us," she said.

FOX5 spoke to Hajiyerou last year as tariffs squeezed the small business’s profits and overhead costs. She wrote to President Donald Trump and the White House, daily, about the impact of tariffs on China on small businesses like hers.

She urges other entrepreneurs to keep pressing for refunds.

“Just be relentless. Keep pushing forward because the Las Vegas Valley needs small businesses. We have to stay here for our customers, the community,” Hajiyerou said.

Hajiyerou said she expects to receive refunds in June; CBP said businesses can expect refunds in 60 to 90 days.

Some users had reported challenges with the CBP portal to file for refunds. Some experienced website issues from heavy traffic.

In a press conference Thursday, Nevada Treasurer Zach Conine criticized the hurdles for businesses to properly file and get refunds for what he calls “unconstitutional” tariffs, explaining that his office received a call from a wine broker who could not file for a refund in the online CBP portal.

“He’s been able to track literally every tariff cost because he’s doing his own importing directly. He tried to get through this process, use the system, and it didn’t work,” Conine said.

“This is what’s going to happen: if you’re a big business, if you’ve got a massive financial and accounting department, you’re going to be able to apply and get those dollars back. If you are a small business, if you are trying to manage people and manage inventory and keep the lights on and try to build a better life for your family, it’s all going to be too hard, which is why we’re fighting back,” he said.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down Trump’s emergency tariffs, Conine sent the Trump Administration a bill to reimburse the state of Nevada $2.1 billion: the estimated total costs of tariffs on every Nevada resident.

A group of Congressional lawmakers are looking into options for customers of large box stores who have paid higher prices for goods. Southern Nevada’s Congressional delegation-- Congressmembers Steven Horsford, Susie Lee and Dina Titus were among 15 legislators who signed a letter asking major retailers to answer questions about their plans to pass along refunds to consumers in some form.

“What steps, if any, does your company anticipate taking to ensure tariff relief translates into lower prices or other direct benefits for consumers—including price reductions, credits, or other mechanisms—and on what timeline?" the letter states.