Amazon is forgoing millions in tariff refunds to 'curry favor' with Trump, lawsuit claims
In this photo illustration, the Amazon logo is displayed on the screen of a smart tablet. (Photo Illustration by Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The battle over who should be reimbursed for the higher costs of items purchased while the Trump administration’s unconstitutional tariffs were still in effect has reached the world’s largest retailer’s doorstep, but this time there’s a twist.
Amazon has not asked the federal government to pay back the money, and it is currently refusing to do so, the lawsuit claims.
Big picture view:
The plaintiffs argue Amazon raised prices while the tariffs were still in effect and collected hundreds of millions of dollars. After the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs, the federal government set up a method to reimburse those who had paid them.
Amazon, however, has not asked for that money back, the plaintiffs stated. They allege company officials are forgoing the massive sum the online giant is due as a way to curry favor with President Donald Trump. According to the lawsuit, Amazon has not returned any money to customers who paid higher prices while the tariffs were in effect and "has no intention of doing so."
What they're saying:
"Amazon’s decision to forgo recovery serves its own political and commercial interests at the direct expense of the consumers who bore the tariff costs in the first place," the plaintiffs wrote in the lawsuit. "It has, in short, generated and retained a windfall from unlawful government action, and consumers — not Amazon — are the ones left paying for it."
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FOX Television Stations has reached out to Amazon and will update this story with any comment.
Dig deeper:
Over 2,000 companies are seeking to be reimbursed by the federal government and have filed suits with the U.S. Court of International Trade.
What the companies plan to do with any money they get back has been an issue. Responses have ranged from other, similar class-action lawsuits seeking refunds for customers to companies announcing plans to pass the money on to customers who had to pay more because of the tariffs.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the lawsuit class action complaint, FOX Business, and Reuters. This story was reported from Orlando.