Each Nevada household is owed $1,744.75, Conine calculated, after paying more for items like washing machines, cars, gas, and food. Small businesses have also felt cost hikes.
“Anecdotally, we've seen invoices from restaurants where there are additional tariff-related costs that are just put on as a flat fee. We've seen bills that have actually been paid to the federal government for tariffs, like a wine store, they've had to pay $1, $2, $4 a bottle, depending on where it was coming from. And those charges, some of them got passed on to customers. They were just trying to provide for their families,” Conine said.
The refund could look like a stimulus check or a tax refund, Conine said, and it could be a flat rate or determined by how much each family spent.
“We have to be very, very laser-focused on making sure that this doesn't become a windfall for businesses, but it actually gets back in the hands of Nevadans who had to pay higher costs along the way,” Conine said. “I think we've seen this a number of times, where something bad is done by the administration that hurts everyone, but then corporations get bailed out. Those who can't sue the federal government end up holding the bag.”
There are examples of the state government providing refunds, including from the legislature-passed DMV technology fee, which was deemed unconstitutional, and this year, NV Energy is preparing refunds for overcharging customers.
But don’t expect the tariff check in the mail tomorrow.
“If the federal government sent it, it would clear. I think the larger problem is that the President has a history of not paying his bills,” Conine said.
Conine said the next steps will likely end up in court.
