Letter: All money paid in tariffs by Utahns should be paid back to Utahns

On Feb. 20, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the tariffs levied on us by President Trump were unconstitutional, stating that the president exceeded his authority granted by Congress.

Those tariffs, imposed unilaterally by Trump without the consent of Congress, saddled all working-class Americans with one of the largest single tax increases in American history. The question left unanswered by SCOTUS, however, is how those taxes will be returned.

Some large proportion of the tariffs was passed to the consumers in the form of higher prices, but I fear the tariff revenues will be returned only to the companies that paid them, because that’s the only clear paper trail of payments. Many of those companies are huge international businesses already enjoying record profits.

Those taxes should be returned to the consumers! Not to the conglomerates who will surely reward only their shareholders in the form of even higher profits without lowering prices!

I call upon the Utah Legislature to pass emergency legislation during the current session to distribute all money paid in tariffs by Utahns back to Utahns. Every 2025 Utah tax filer with an adjusted gross income (AGI) less than $400,000 should receive a refund. There should be a sliding scale, with the lowest AGI filers receiving the greatest rebates and the highest AGI filers receiving the least.

Is that fair? The high-income earners will say no. But it is equitable: The lowest earners paid a far greater proportion of their income in tariffs, they definitely need the returned money more, and the tariffs returned to those who need it most will flow straight back into the Utah economy.

Do the right thing, Utah! Help the least among us. That’s what Jesus would do.

Scott Bell, West Jordan

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