Bel Paese Sales Co. v. United States

15 Cust. Ct. 7, 1945 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 471
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJune 21, 1945
DocketC. D. 932
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 15 Cust. Ct. 7 (Bel Paese Sales 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
Bel Paese Sales Co. v. United States, 15 Cust. Ct. 7, 1945 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 471 (cusc 1945).

Opinion

Keefe, Judge:

In this case the plaintiff claims that in reliquidat-ing the entry covering 410 cases of Sardo cheese, in loaves, imported from Italy on December 9, 1939, the collector failed to follow the decision and judgment of this court, and that reliquidation on any other basis than that contained in the judgment is illegal and void. It is specifically contended that reliquidation should have been made upon the basis of the weigher’s return of net weight, less 2J4 per centum for tare of nonedible coverings. In reliquidation, the collector noted “no change” in his former liquidation.

At the trial it was disclosed that the decision of this court involved in the reliquidation pertains to protest 39148-K, which was decided together with other protests, the initial number thereof being 42301-K. (See Santo Alioto & Sons et al. v. United States, 6 Cust. Ct. 503, Abstract 45175.) In those cases it was stipulated and agreed between the parties thereto that the merchandise was the same in all material respects as that in the case of Mattia Locatelli New York Branch v. United States, T. D. 48284, holding as follows:

[8]*8* * * that in determining the dutiable value of cheese, having a protective covering of fuller’s earth, the collector, in applying the 35 per centum rate, should have multiplied the net weight of the cheese found by the weigher, less 2% per centum for the nonedible protective covering, by the appraised unit of value, and thereto .adding the cost of packing, if not already included in the unit value of the cheese. On the sum thus obtained the duty should be computed.

In the Locatelli case this court stated that it recognized and followed the fundamental principle in customs law that where the amount of duty to be collected is in part dependent upon the weight of the imported merchandise, it is the net weight thereof actually imported which is to be used as a basis for computing duties, and that the net weight is represented by the amount returned by the United States weigher, less 2% per centum. As authority for the principle so announced, the court cited United States v. Bush & Co., 4 Ct. Cust. Appls. 519, T. D. 33938; United States v. Bush & Co., 5 Ct. Cust. Appls. 127, T. D. 34187; United States v. Suzarte & Whitney, 8 Ct. Cust. Appls. 99, T. D. 37219; United States v. Amendola, 5 Ct. Cust. Appls. 516, T. D. 35156; and decisions of this court reported in T. D. 17828; T. D. 20989; T. D. 25823; T. D. 36194; T. D. 36195; T. D. 46643; T. D. 44000; Abstract 21486, T. D. 29877; Abstract 22898, T. D. 30447; T. D. 32068; T. D. 25553; T. D. 44444; and Kraft Phenix Cheese Corp. v. United States, T. D. 47955.

In the Kraft Phenix Cheese Corp. case the question was whether or Pot paper and foil wrapped around Roquefort cheese should be regarded as cheese so that when duty was assessed upon the basis of the net weight of the cheese said weight should include the weight of the paper and foil. This court there held that the paper and foil wrapping was no part of the cheese and should not have been'included in-the weight thereof by the collector in calculating the dutiable value. Apparently the collector had no trouble’ in reliquidating the entry in the Locatelli case, supra, which is a part of this record. In Mattia Locatelli v. United States, T. D. 49302, this court reiterated the proper method of determining the value upon which duty should be assessed as being the multiplication of the net weight reported by the weigher, less 2% per centum for tare, by the appraised unit of value, and to the sum thus obtained adding the cost of packing, if not already included in the unit value of the cheese. Later in Mattia Locatelli N. Y. Branch, Inc. v. United States, T. D. 49389, this court held that an inedible substance composed of lamp black, soapstone, and fats, placed on the outside óf Reggiano cheese, amounting to 1 per centum of the weight of the cheese, was tare. There, also, the collector was directed to deduct that percentage from the weight of the cheese before multiplying the net landed weight by the unit value to obtain the dutiable value of the merchandise.

In Parodi Erminio & Co. v. United States, 6 Cust. Ct. 95, C. D. 436, this court, in rendering its decision, very explicitly set out the [9]*9steps to be taken in obtaining tbe dutiable value to be used as tbe basis of tbe ad valorem duties in language as follows:

In the case, before us the unit price, according to the invoice, includes the pro rata proportion of an amount of $19 for packing, also freight from Rome to Genoa, porterage and loading charges, amounting to $12. -These latter charges were deducted from the total value as noncfutiable. The gross weight of the merchandise, to wit, the weight of the packing, the inedible coverings, and the cheese, was reported by the weigher to be 3,401 pounds. The weight of the packing was reported as 512 pounds, and the weight of the inedible coverings was 59 pounds. Therefore, the net weight of the cheese was 2,830 pounds. Upon the foregoing state of- facts, the sum obtained by a multiplication of the net weight of the cheese and the unit price thereof, less $12, the nondutiable charges, is the dutiable value from which the duty is to be derived and, under the law, a computation of such value with the rate of duty also includes the duty upon all containers and coverings of whatever nature. However, the collector has failed to follow the law in obtaining the basis of value upon lohich duty should be assessed because the weight of cheese which he multiplied by the unit value to obtain the dutiable value included the weight of the inedible coverings. Consequently, he assessed 59 pounds of coverings with a duty applicable to cheese, when the cost thereof is included in the dutiable value as above noted, and such action in effect amounts to a double assessment. Had the same course been followed in reference to the duty upon the packing weighing 518 pounds, he would have multiplied the net' weight of the cheese, plus the weight of the inedible coverings, plus the weight of the outside cases (the gross weight) by the unit of value to obtain the dutiable value.
The identical rule in assessing duty upon packing charges is applicable to assessment of duty upon the inedible coverings. ■ A rate of duty applied to an amount obtained by the multiplication of the unit value, which includes the cost of inside packing as well as outside packing and the net weight of cheese actually imported, produces an amount which includes duty upon the inside and outside packing as well as the duty upon the cheese.
In the ease of United States v. Suzarte & Whitney, 8 Ct. Cust. Appls. 99, T. D. 37219, the appellate court stated, as follows:
* * * the course pursued by the appraiser was to fix the unit value upon the goods including the cost of the containers, and that if the net weight is multiplied by this unit value, the containers will have paid the rate of duty which the merchandise also bears, which is correct.
For the reasons stated we hold that when the cost of inedible coverings is included in the per se

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Bluebook (online)
15 Cust. Ct. 7, 1945 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 471, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bel-paese-sales-co-v-united-states-cusc-1945.