Tariffs on the Ground: A Memphis Business Forced to Cut Back

For many small businesses, tariffs are often discussed in abstract terms — percentages, trade disputes, or geopolitical strategy. But for companies on the ground, the costs show up immediately in the form of higher bills, tighter cash flow, and difficult decisions about staffing and growth.

One Memphis, Tennessee business has paid more than $250,000 in additional tariffs since April 2025.

“Tariffs have hit us and our customers hard,” the company explains. “On a shipment this past week, we had a $30,000 tariff bill for something that would have cost us less than $5,000 before the additional tariffs were added.”

That kind of jump is impossible for many small businesses to absorb — especially when raising prices is not an option. The company explains, “we have not been able to increase our prices one bit to offset the additional tariffs.”

When companies cannot pass the costs on to customers, the burden falls directly on the business itself. That often means cutting back on growth, delaying investments, or reducing staff.

In this case, the tariffs directly affected hiring decisions.

Across the country, small businesses have shared similar stories: hiring freezes, postponed investments, and strained finances caused by tariff bills that arrive unexpectedly and cannot easily be absorbed.

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling that invalidated the IEEPA tariffs, it is now clear that the duties collected under that authority were unlawful. Courts have said that refunds should be issued to the businesses that paid them. The next step is ensuring the government follows through and returns those funds without delay or unnecessary administrative hurdles.

For businesses like this Memphis company, those refunds would restore hundreds of thousands of dollars that were pulled out of day-to-day operations — money that could otherwise support hiring, investment, and growth.

If your company paid IEEPA tariffs, consider joining the growing coalition of 1,000+ small businesses calling for refunds. Sign our letter to Congress and the Administration demanding full, fast, and automatic repayment so that the small businesses who paid these unlawful tariffs can finally recover the funds they are owed.