AIMCOR v. United States

141 F.3d 1098
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedApril 9, 1998
DocketNos. 96-1502, 97-1009
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 141 F.3d 1098 (AIMCOR v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
AIMCOR v. United States, 141 F.3d 1098 (Fed. Cir. 1998).

Opinion

SCHALL, Circuit Judge.

This antidumping action stems from the investigation of ferrosilicon1 imported from Brazil. Plaintiffs/Cross-Appellants, AIM-COR, Aabama Silicon, Inc., American Alloys, Inc., Globe Metallurgical, Inc., and American Silicon Technologies (collectively “AIM-COR”), are United States ferrosilicon producers, manufacturers, or resellers. Defendant/Appellant, Companhia Ferroligas Minas Gerais-Minasligas (“Minasligas”), is a Brazilian producer and exporter of ferrosilicon. Minasligas appeals the decision of the United States Court of International Trade sustaining the determination of the International Trade Administration, United States Department of Commerce (“Commerce”), that Minasligas had sold ferrosilicon at less than fair value and imposing an antidumping order. See AIMCOR v. United States, No. 94-03-00182, 1996 WL 276955, at *2 (Ct. Int’l Trade May 21, 1996). Specifically, Minasligas challenges the inclusion of Brazilian value-added taxes as part of the cost of materials in determining constructed value pursuant to 19 U.S.C. § 1677b(e)(l)(A) (1988).2 See AIM-COR, 1996 WL 276955, at *1. AIMCOR [1101]*1101cross-appeals, challenging the interest rate used by Commerce to calculate Minasligas’ imputed negative, United States credit expenses. We affirm.

BACKGROUND

I.

The antidumping laws protect United States industries against the sale of foreign manufactured goods in the United States at prices below the fair market value of those goods in the foreign country. The laws impose additional duties on imported merchandise that is being sold, or is likely to be sold, at less than its fair market value, when those sales materially injure, threaten to materially injure, or retard the establishment of a United States industry. See 19 U.S.C. § 1673. The quantum of the duties imposed, known as the “dumping margin,” is the amount by which the foreign market value of the goods exceeds their United States price. See 19 U.S.C. § 1673; 19 C.F.R. § 353.2(f) (1997). These additional duties are designed to account for the dumping margin (i.e., raise the United States price to the foreign market value of the merchandise). See Zenith Elees. Corp. v. United States, 988 F.2d 1573, 1576 (Fed.Cir.1993).

The United States price of the goods is either the “purchase price” or the “exporter’s sales price.” 19 U.S.C. § 1677a(a). The “purchase price” is the price at which a United States buyer purchases or agrees to purchase the merchandise prior to importation. 19 U.S.C. § 1677a(b). The “exporter’s sales price” is the price at which the merchandise is sold or agreed to be sold prior to or after importation by or for the account of the exporter. 19 U.S.C. § 1677a(c). Foreign market value is determined using one of three methods: (1) home market sales; (2) third country sales; or (3) constructed value. See 19 U.S.C. § 1677b(a)(l), (2); see also NSK, 115 F.3d at 968. Home market sales is the preferred method for determining foreign market value. See Smithr-Corona Group v. United States, 713 F.2d 1568, 1573, 1 Fed. Cir. (T) 130, 134 (Fed.Cir.1983). When information on home market sales is insufficient, either the third country sales method or the constructed value method is used to determine foreign market value. See Zenith Elees., 988 F.2d at 1577.

In calculating foreign market value, Commerce disregards home market and third country sales of merchandise at less than the cost of production, if such sales have been made over an extended period of time in substantial quantities and the sales are at prices which do not permit recovery of all costs within a reasonable period of time in the normal course of trade. See 19 U.S.C. § 1677b(b). Whenever sales 'at less than the cost of production are disregarded and Commerce finds that the remaining sales are an inadequate basis for determining foreign market value, the constructed value method is used to determine foreign market value. See id.; see also NSK, 115 F.3d at 969. Constructed value is calculated by adding the cost of materials, general expenses, profit, and incidental expenses according to a statutory formula. See 19 U.S.C. § 1677b(e)(l). The statute provides in pertinent part as follows:

[Constructed value ... shall [include] ... the cost of materials (exclusive of any internal tax applicable in the country of exportation directly to such materials or their disposition, but remitted or refunded upon the exportation of the article in the production of which such materials are used) and of fabrication or other processing of any kind employed in producing such or similar merchandise, at a time preceding the date of exportation of the merchandise under consideration which would ordinarily permit the production of that particular merchandise in the ordinary course of business.

19 U.S.C. § 1677b(e)(l)(A); see also 19 C.F.R. § 353.50(a) (1997).

Both United States price and foreign market value are subject to certain adjustments to assure that the quantum of antidumping duties is calculated in a fair manner. See 19 U.S.C. § 1677a(d), (e); 19 U.S.C. § 1677b(a)(l), (a)(4); see also Koyo Seiko Co. v. United States, 36 F.3d 1565, 1568 (Fed.Cir. 1994). Thus, the statute provides that foreign market value may be adjusted for “differences in circumstances of sale.” 19 U.S.C. [1102]*1102§ 1677b(a)(4)(B). These circumstances of sale adjustments may include the costs of advertising, packing, after-sale rebates, and warranty and after-sale service expenses. See 19 C.F.R. § 353.56(a)(1), (2) (1997); Koyo Seiko, 36 F.3d at 1568 (citing Smith-Corona, 713 F.2d at 1573 n. 12, 1 Fed. Cir. (T) at 134 n. 12).

II.

Turning to the case at hand, on January 12, 1993, AIMCOR;3

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141 F.3d 1098, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/aimcor-v-united-states-cafc-1998.