ST. MARTIN PARISH — Businesses across the country are now being given a chance to apply for refunds on tariffs that were later ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, with a new system launched by U.S. Customs and Border Protection allowing eligible companies to begin the process.
The refund process is limited to importers of record—companies that directly paid those tariffs to the federal government—and requires applicants to file through the ACE Secure Data Portal.
For some local companies, including a St. Martin Parish metal supplier, the path to a refund is not so clear.
Ian Bertrand, managing member of St. Martin Metal, said his company did not directly pay tariffs but instead felt the impact through costs passed down from suppliers.
“It would be one thing if we were buying products directly from overseas and had actually paid tariffs,” Bertrand said. “We just kind of saw a trickle down effect of price increases because of the tariffs. It’s kind of a hard thing to say, ‘ok we can give you back this much money because we charged you this much more.’”
Because those costs were indirect, Bertrand said the company does not plan to apply for a refund. He also said he has not heard from former vendors about any potential reimbursement tied to the tariffs.
“I haven’t heard or received any communications from our vendors that they’re going to offer any kind of relief for that yet, it might still be a little early for that,” Bertrand said.
Instead, Bertrand said the company has focused on shifting toward domestic suppliers, a move he believes has helped stabilize costs and strengthen the business.
“I think it was the right move, it was inevitable, the market dictates, the choices that you make,” Bertrand said.
The refund process remains limited to businesses, meaning consumers who may have paid higher prices as a result of the tariffs are not eligible for reimbursement. For now, Bertrand said his focus remains on the market as he watches for more stable pricing and greater consistency moving forward
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