Colombia Import Tariff Refund Exposure Could Reach $254M

Ecuador's terminated Colombia import surcharge may become a refund-liability issue.

Primicias reports that business groups and customs-tax experts consider importers able to request refunds after Ecuador lifted the 100% security charge on Colombian imports from June 1, 2026.

Potential Exposure

Item	Figure
Charge lifted	100% security charge on Colombia imports
Charge period at issue	February-May 2026
SRI collection, February-April	$121M
Conservative May collection estimate	$99.4M
Estimated charge collections total	$220.9M
Additional IVA estimate	about $33M
Potential total before interest	$254M

The estimates are attributed by Primicias to Pablo Villegas, former legal director of SENAE.

Legal Track

Primicias reports that the Andean Community ordered Ecuador and Colombia to lift reciprocal tariffs in resolutions issued on May 7 and gave both countries 10 business days.

Ecuador filed reconsideration and nullity actions on May 21, while Colombia also filed claims before the CAN. The CAN responded on May 25 that the requests would be processed under community procedures.

Freddy Cevallos, president of the Ecuadorian-Colombian Chamber of Commerce, told Primicias that contributors have an express right to request refunds under the CAN resolutions.

What To Watch

• Whether SENAE accepts administrative refund requests or rejects them and pushes disputes into tax litigation.
• CAN procedural decisions in the 30-day window cited by Primicias.
• Whether importers include interest and IVA effects in claims.
• Fiscal treatment of any recognized liability in public accounts.

Source: Primicias