US Supreme Court finally asks: Who really has the power to tax?

THE US Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday (Nov 5) on President Donald Trump’s global tariffs marked a watershed moment in the ongoing debate over executive power. Even conservative justices expressed deep reservations about the administration’s expansive claims of presidential authority.

The case, which represents the first examination by the justices of the underlying legal merits of a piece of Trump’s second-term agenda, has major implications for global trade, the US economy and the wallets of Americans.

At its core, the dispute centres on whether the president can use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) – a 1977 law designed for national emergencies – to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs without explicit congressional authorisation.