KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng today urged the government to assist Malaysian companies in reclaiming their share of an estimated US$166 billion (RM543 billion) in tariffs that the United States illegally collected since 2025.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — DAP adviser Lim Guan Eng today urged the government to assist Malaysian companies in reclaiming their share of an estimated US$166 billion (RM543 billion) in tariffs that the United States illegally collected since 2025.
His appeal follows a US Supreme Court ruling that struck down the tariffs, effectively nullifying a key Malaysia-US trade agreement.
In a statement, Lim said that since the court deemed the tariffs unlawful, Malaysian companies forced to pay them are entitled to full refunds, including interest.
“The courts have ruled that refunds must cover all illegally collected tariffs, along with interest,” said the Bagan MP, referring to the February 2026 Supreme Court decision against tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
Lim added that the Malaysian government should calculate how much of the US$166 billion in tariffs was paid by local companies and assist them in claiming the refunds and interest.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani confirmed yesterday that the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) between Malaysia and the US is now “null and void” following the court ruling.
Lim also highlighted that US President Donald Trump has proposed a new global tariff of 15 per cent to replace the measures invalidated by the court.
“It remains to be seen whether these new tariffs meet the Supreme Court’s requirements for valid justification,” he said.
Under Trump’s second term, the US first imposed reciprocal tariffs on Malaysian exports at a 24 per cent rate in April 2025, briefly raised it to 25 per cent in August 2025, before lowering it to 19 per cent under the ART signed on October 26, 2025.
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