His call comes after a US Supreme Court ruling invalidated the tariffs and led to a key Malaysia-US trade pact being nullified.

“The courts have ruled that the government must grant refunds not only for all illegally collected tariffs but also pay interest on those payments,” the Bagan MP said, citing the February 2026 Supreme Court decision against tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).

“The Malaysian government should tabulate how much of the US$166 billion in tariffs collected were paid by Malaysian companies and assist these companies to claim back their tariff refunds and interest.”

Lim also noted today that US President Donald Trump has since proposed a new global tariff of 15 per cent to replace the measures struck down by the court.

“Whether these new tariffs legally comply with the need to give valid reasons, as required by the Supreme Court ruling, remains to be seen,” he added.

Under the second Trump administration, the US imposed reciprocal tariffs on Malaysian exports starting with an initial rate of 24 per cent announced in April 2025.

This was briefly raised to 25 per cent effective August 1, 2025, before being reduced to 19 per cent under the ART signed signed October 26, 2025. - malaymail