Maura Healey 'demands' $1,745 tariffs refund for Massachusetts residents

Rick Sobey, Boston Herald on Mar 10, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

Could Bay Staters get a double refund this tax season?

Gov. Maura Healey has sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — calling for a $1,745 tariffs refund for every Massachusetts household after the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump admin’s tariffs were unconstitutional.

“On behalf of the people of Massachusetts, I demand a refund of $1,745 to every Massachusetts household for the financial harm caused by President Trump’s unconstitutional taxes,” Healey wrote in the Tuesday letter.

“With approximately 2.8 million households in Massachusetts, my office estimates that $4,886,000,000 is owed to consumers in our state who shouldered the burden of increased costs,” the governor added. “I call on the Trump Administration to immediately formulate a plan to refund tariff proceeds and put money back in the pockets of the hardworking people of Massachusetts.”

Healey cited data from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee – Minority, which estimates that the average American family has paid more than $1,700 in tariff costs during the last year.

The Joint Economic Committee combined official data from the Treasury Department on the amount of tariff revenue collected between February 2025 and January 2026, with estimates from the Congressional Budget Office on the percent of each tariff dollar that’s paid by American consumers.

The Committee found that American consumers overall paid more than $231 billion in tariff costs between February 2025 and January 2026, an average of roughly $1,745 per family.

“From groceries and household goods to construction materials and consumer products, Massachusetts residents paid more at the register and businesses absorbed higher operating costs,” Healey wrote. “Having unlawfully seized over $100 billion dollars from American people and businesses, the federal government must immediately take steps to pay full restitution.

“In fact, a federal court has now ordered the Trump Administration to issue refunds to importers – but consumers need relief too,” she added. “I urge you to implement a plan that ensures small businesses and families in Massachusetts quickly receive the money they are owed. I also urge the Trump administration to rethink and rescind the new global tariffs that it has imposed that will once again raise costs on consumers and businesses. It makes no sense to stubbornly continue this failed and unlawful policy that increases costs on everyone.”

Healey has been speaking out against tariffs over the last year.

The Healey admin also launched the Massachusetts Tariff Response and Business Operations Support Initiative, convened local business leaders to discuss how tariffs were impacting them, and invited six Northeastern governors and six Canadian premiers to the State House to discuss regional collaboration.

_____