California Board Game Maker Files Claim as Federal Tariff Refund Portal Opens Nationwide

SACRAMENTO, California (KOVR) -- A new federal portal is now live allowing U.S. businesses to reclaim billions of dollars in tariffs after a Supreme Court ruling found the levies President Trump imposed last year are illegal.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency recently launched the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) portal, giving importers a formal pathway to request refunds for certain tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. But the money won't come automatically — businesses must apply and wait for approval.

Price Johnson, chief financial officer of game-maker Cephalofair, is among those now filing claims. He showed a stack of receipts documenting the tariff charges his company paid over the past year.

"We've got our summary report here," Johnson said. "You can see all the imports we made over the course of a year, totalling about $140,000. It's a lot of money. We'd love to have it back and go to more products."

Over the past year, Johnson said the tariffs forced difficult decisions. "We've had several different furloughs in place part-time, had to eliminate a full-time position," he said.

Now, Johnson is submitting his claim through the new portal, hoping to recover those losses. "At this point, we wait to see how long that takes them to process and to validate," he said.

CBS News Sacramento first visited Johnson in Rocklin last year when his gaming company was in a real-life battle for survival, with products stuck in a Shanghai warehouse as tariffs on Chinese imports climbed as high as 145%, making shipping financially impossible.

"What we're going to get back does not offset the damages and the delays that have been imposed," Johnson said.

Experts say while the portal is a major step forward, it places the burden squarely on businesses to file accurate claims, and not all tariffs may qualify for refunds. Only unliquidated tariffs or those finalized within a limited timeframe are currently eligible.

Still, for companies like Johnson's, the shift offers some relief. "It's certainly a feeling of validation," he said.

Customs officials say once they approve the claims, businesses will be paid within 60 to 90 days. So Johnson could see his check sometime this summer.

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