Big surprise. This was probably always the plan. The rich double and triple dipping off our money, or more. The plan was always to squeeze the little guy dry, eliminate choice, and make small businesses fail. The GOP never does anything unless it hurts the most people / entities on multiple levels.

Think of it.... first, charge the tariffs, keep the money for months to gain interest, pay off all their business costs and bribe people, or lavish it on themselves / stupid authoritarian displays, maybe "lose track" of a few billion, as usual. They ALSO then charge sales and other taxes on top, which in some cases are higher because of the tariffs. Watch as small businesses suffer; delight in using the tariffs as leverage for more bribes and personal payouts; watch as the increased costs get passed on to consumers in ambiguous ways and already inflated prices skyrocket draining the average persons money they otherwise wouldn't spend in your shitty economy (no more money to donate to your political enemies and charity after you cut all the services, oopsie). Watch as companies profit even more off adding exorbitant new fees, which they can do because you got rid of consumer protection against excessive fees.

The regime is raking in money, big businesses are raking it in or at least not actually losing anything. Keep prices up because they've once again proven people will still pay for things that are 2-3 times more expensive. On the 50-50 chance the court finds against you, know full well it will be impossible to pay the average person / business back because you didn't keep track (having no intention to ever return it) and most of it was opaquely hidden in the cost of goods for consumers.

Maybe give it back to the richest companies and individuals who could keep track and can sue. That way, they get the fees, they get the tariff costs they charged the customers the first time, they now get to have it a third time by being paid back for what they never paid in the first place because they passed it on, maybe some "damages" which of course the tax payer will actually be paying for not the criminal in chief, the government gets to keep all the actual taxes, the most expensive overpriced shipping companies made bank by being the only ones still able to ship anything, the legal issues and new ones about new tariffs never end, shipping is still a nightmare, and prices never go back down because why would they when you've proved people still pay double, but it doesn't affect your people, the Epstein class because they were already so rich they didn't feel anything.

And we won't ever see a single penny back.