Aceto Chemical Co. v. United States

59 Cust. Ct. 15, 271 F. Supp. 293, 1967 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2302
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJuly 17, 1967
DocketC.D. 3058
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 59 Cust. Ct. 15 (Aceto Chemical Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Customs Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Aceto Chemical Co. v. United States, 59 Cust. Ct. 15, 271 F. Supp. 293, 1967 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2302 (cusc 1967).

Opinions

Wilson, Judge:

This protest covers certain merchandise imported from England in March 1961. The involved material was invoiced as “Empicol TSL.” It was classified under paragraph 2 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the Torquay Protocol to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T;D. 52739, as a triethanolamine salt and was assessed compound duty at the rate of 15 per centum ad valorem plus 3 cents per pound. A tax was also imposed against the merchandise under the Internal Revenue Act, but that levy is not under protest.

The plaintiff claims the imported product properly classifiable under paragraph 61 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified, supra, which provides for “all preparations used as applications to the hair, mouth, teeth, or skin, such as cosmetics, dentifrices, tooth soaps, pastes, theatrical grease paints, pomades, powders, and other toilet preparations * * * not containing alcohol,” and properly dutiable at the rate of 18% per centum ad valorem. By amendment to its protest, the plaintiff claims alternatively that the Empicol TSL under consideration should be classified under paragraph 13 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified by the Sixth Protocol of Supplementary Concessions to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T.D. 54108, as “liquids for cleaning, not specially provided for, and not containing alcohol,” at the rate of 6 per centum ad valorem. The plaintiff places its principal reliance upon this alternative claim.

The Government concedes that on the record in this case the classification of the merchandise before us is erroneous, i.e., that it is not properly dutiable under paragraph 2 as a salt of triethanolamine or a mixture in chief value of such a salt. It is, therefore, unnecessary to give further consideration to said paragraph 2.

The only statutes to be considered by the court in resolving the issues herein presented are, therefore, paragraphs 13'and 61 of the Tariff Act of 1930.

Paragraph 13 of said act, as modified by the Sixth Protocol of Supplementary Concessions to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T.D. 54108, reads as follows:

Blackings, powders, liquids, and .creams for cleaning or polishing, not specially provided for, and not containing alcohol_6% ad val.
Paragraph 61 of said act, as modified by the Torquay Protocol to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, T.D. 52739, provides:
* * * all preparations used as applications to the hair, mouth, teeth, or skin, such as cosmetics, dentifrices, [17]*17tooth soaps, pastes, theatrical grease paints, pomades, powders, and other toilet preparations, all the foregoing:
* :|{ * ⅞⅜ ⅝ ¾: . ⅝
Not containing alcohol_ 18¾% ad val.

The only point remaining to be resolved is whether the plaintiff has satisfactorily shown by competent evidence that the Empicol TSL at bar should be classified either under paragraph 13 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as modified, supra, as a liquid for cleaning, or under paragraph 61 of said act, as modified, supra, as a “preparation used as an application to the hair.”

The evidence consists of the testimony of three witnesses, two called by the plaintiff and one by the defendant, together with five exhibits introduced by the plaintiff and one by the defendant.

Plaintiff’s exhibit 1 consists of a representative sample of the imported merchandise. It is a colorless, odorless liquid contained in a bottle.

Plaintiff’s exhibit 2 consists of a report setting forth an analysis made by plaintiff’s witness, Seymour Mann, of the liquid contents of exhibit 1.

Plaintiff’s illustrative exhibits 3 and 4, and plaintiff’s collective illustrative exhibit 5, consist of various brands and types of shampoos obtainable in the retail market in New York City.

Defendant’s illustrative exhibit A was identified as a bottle of “Sil-vikrin” shampoo allegedly produced by Beecham Products.

The uncontradicted evidence in the record before us establishes that the merchandise at bar consists of a liquid (plaintiff’s exhibit 1) containing neither coloring matter nor perfume; and that it is a chemical mixture containing the following substances (plaintiff’s exhibit 2) :

36%-triethanolamine lauryl sulfate
3.6%_lauric isopropanolamide
1%_neutral fatty compound
1%_triethanolamine sulfate
58.4%-water

It is also admitted that the product does not contain ethyl alcohol.

It should also be noted that the Empicol TSL under consideration is admittedly a surface cleaning liquid or agent.

Page 5 of brief of counsel for the defendant states the following:

The record leaves no doubt that the primary constituent of Empicol TSL, viz., triethanolamine lauryl sulfate, is a synthetic detergent. Nor is there any question but that the primary use of detergents, synthetic or otherwise, is in connection with their cleaning properties. Further, Empicol TSL is unquestionably a liquid, containing no ethyl alcohol. * * *

[18]*18The two witnesses for the plaintiff and Dr. Lada, who testified for the defendant, agree that the imported product is a surface cleaning agent.

While plaintiff’s witnesses testified that the product at bar is a shampoo in its imported condition, neither of them had ever seen it used as such. They also testified that the Empicol TSL in question is a cleaning liquid of excellent quality. Their position was, however, that the material as imported, while a most effective liquid cleaning agent for many purposes, was too expensive for any use other than shampoo. On the other hand, Dr. Lada who testified for the defendant stated that the involved merchandise in its condition as imported was definitely not a shampoo, and could not be used as a shampoo until some additional ingredients were added. Referring to plaintiff’s exhibit 1, Dr. Lada testified as follows:

Q. In your opinion, is that suitable as a base for a commercially feasible shampoo ? — A. As it stands by itself, it is not suitable. As a base, with the addition of other materials suitably diluted, and all the other accouterments that are used in the cosmetic industry, it might then be suitable, but not as it sits now. [R. 57.]

Dr. Lada also testified concerning various uses for which Empicol TSL might be commercially feasible. On this point he stated:

Q. Now, you said that the product, assuming it has the same formulation as in Exhibit 1, could be put to other uses. What other uses ?— A. It could be put to other uses, just as it would be with shampoos. It would have to be further modified, because it’s unsuitable for use as it stands. It could be made into a bubble bath by raising the alkano-lamide content, and cutting back the lauryl sulfate compound. It could be used to some extent in liquid dishwashing, especially today, when lauryl sulfates are looked upon as detergents desired in sewage systems, and in fact there is strong indication that lauryl sulfates may take part of this market. It could be used to some extent, and is sold by us to some extent, modified other than that, for certain car washing applications.

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Related

Aceto Chemical Co. v. United States
465 F.2d 908 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1972)
Aceto Chemical Co. v. United States
65 Cust. Ct. 135 (U.S. Customs Court, 1970)
International Paint Co. (Calif.), Inc. v. United States
64 Cust. Ct. 166 (U.S. Customs Court, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
59 Cust. Ct. 15, 271 F. Supp. 293, 1967 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2302, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aceto-chemical-co-v-united-states-cusc-1967.