Berns & Koppstein, Inc. v. United States

51 Cust. Ct. 383, 1963 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1294
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedSeptember 30, 1963
DocketReap. Dec. 10589; Entry No. 603, etc.
StatusPublished

This text of 51 Cust. Ct. 383 (Berns & Koppstein, Inc. 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
Berns & Koppstein, Inc. v. United States, 51 Cust. Ct. 383, 1963 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1294 (cusc 1963).

Opinion

Donlon, Judge:

These 21 appeals, consolidated for trial, seek re-

appraisement of certain canned corned beef, packed in Paraguay by International Products Corp. The I.P.C. beef was packed in cases of 12 cans, each containing 6 pounds, and was imported from Paraguay at various dates, all but one of which were in 1959.

The exception is reappraisement 61/5174. Defendant contends that it is improperly consolidated for trial with the other appeals before the court, both because it relates to corned beef that was not packed under the I.P.C. brand label, and also because that merchandise [384]*384was imported on November 7, 1958, a date outside the period of importation that has been stipulated in these appeals. Plaintiff concedes that these allegations are fact. Although the official papers, transmitted to the court, show that this merchandise was invoiced and entered as 2,600 cases of I.P.C. canned corned beef from Paraguay, subsequent investigation has revealed that this is not so. Hence, re-appraisement 61/5174 is severed from the consolidated cases. There is no evidence before the court relative to the merchandise of that appeal or as to its time of importation, and it is dismissed, therefore, for failure to prosecute.

As to the remaining 20 consolidated appeals, the litigated issue is the United States value of the merchandise.

It is stipulated that this merchandise is an item appearing on the final list published by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to the Customs Simplification Act of 1956, effective February 27,1958 (T.D. 54521), for appraisement on the basis, if there be such, of foreign or export value, whichever is higher, under the old law, that is, section 402a of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended. At the times of these exportations, it appears that a foreign or export value in Paraguay could not be established for such merchandise. (E. 4 to 10, inclusive.) While the stipulation is defective in that it only excludes the facts basic to foreign or export value of such, and not of similar, merchandise, it is presumed that the appraiser found that there was not a foreign or export value for similar merchandise, inasmuch as ap-praisement was on the basis of United States value, and that basis of appraisement is not contested. Appraisement on the basis of United States value is presumptively correct. Semi Smoke, Inc. v. United States, 47 Cust. Ct. 483, Reap. Dec. 10089; affirmed on review, 49 Cust. Ct. 505, A.E.D. 148; affirmed on appeal, 50 CCPA 82, C.A.D. 825. The presumption has not been rebutted.

Certain other facts, material to the quantum of United States value, b ave been stipulated. There is also oral testimony.

It is stipulated that the merchandise was loaded on river boats between April 23, 1959, and August 21, 1959, inclusive, at Asuncion, Paraguay, and shipped from Asuncion to Buenos Aires, where it was loaded in ocean carriers, bound for various ports in the United States. (E. 10.) It appears, therefore, that the period of exportation from Paraguay was between April 23,1959, and August 21,1959.

It is also stipulated that none of the merchandise was landed in the United States earlier than June 1, 1959. (E. 45, 46.)

United States value is defined in section 402a, as amended, as follows:

(e) The United States value of imported merchandise shall be the price at which such or similar imported merchandise is freely offered for sale for [385]*385domestic consumption, packed ready for delivery, in the principal market of the United States to all purchasers, at the time of exportation of the imported merchandise, in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade, with allowance made for duty, cost of transportation and insurance, and other necessary expenses from the place of shipment to the place of delivery, a commission not exceeding 6 per centum, if any has been paid or contracted to be paid on goods secured otherwise than by purchase, or profits not to exceed 8 per centum and a reasonable allowance for general expenses, not to exceed 8 per centum on purchased goods.

There is no dispute as to the amount which should be allowed, under this statutory formula, as a deduction from price for costs of transportation and insurance, and for other necessary expenses from the place of shipment to the place of delivery. These costs and expenses are stipulated as being $3.3224 per case. Both parties agree, also, that customs duty should also be deducted from price in order to arrive at value, but argue for duty allowances differing in amount, arithmetically dependent on the outcome of the value issue. Thus, while United States value is the basis of appraisement, there is disagreement here litigated as to the United States selling price, which is the basis from which computation of United States value proceeds, and there is also disagreement as to whether allowance should be made for general expenses, commissions, and profits, within the statutory formula.

The appraiser found that, at the dates of exportation of the Paraguayan corned beef of these importations, such or similar merchandise was freely offered for sale in the United States, in usual wholesale quantities and for domestic consumption, at a price of $35 per case, less 1 per centum discount. He used that as the United States selling price in his computation of value, and made no allowance for general expenses, commission or profit.

As to United States price, the record includes affidavits, some testimony and certain documentary exhibits.

Mr. Francis Koppstein, who identified himself as the secretary and treasurer of Berns & Koppstein, Inc., plaintiff herein, testified that the I.P.C. brand Paraguayan canned corned beef of these appeals was purchased by plaintiff from International Products Corp., 652 Madison Avenue, New York 22, N.Y., on or about March 30, 1959. The price was $25 per case f.o.b. Buenos Aires. There were 20,000 cases in the order, of which 10,000 were packed under the “I.P.C.” label and 10,000 cases were identical merchandise but packed under a “Ricardo” label. (R. 16, 17; exhibit 2.) The entries with the documents filed with the court in these reappraisement appeals show the

[386]*386following quantities and respective “marks” as to the entries of merchandise of the several appeals:

Appeal Plaintiff Quantity “Marks”
R61/7169 Berns & Koppstein, Inc. 1, 000 cases* La Ruta*
200 I.P.C.
R61/7663 350 I.P.C.
R61/7665 750 I.P.C.
R61/10063 250 I.P.C.
R61/10064 1, 500 I.P.C.
R61/10065 1, 250 I.P.C.
R61/10066 1, 350 I.P.C.
R61/10067 250 I.P.C.
R61/9230 200 I.P.C.
R61/9231 250 I.P.C.
R61/9232 150 I.P.C.
R61/9233 350 I.P.C.
R61/13468 1, 250 I.P.C.
R61/13469 1, 300 I.P.C.
R61/19006 50 I.P.C.
R61/7662 250 I.P.C.
R61/13466 Morris Friedman 1, 000 I.P.C.
R61/13467 990 I.P.C.

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Related

Rodriguez v. United States
23 Cust. Ct. 296 (U.S. Customs Court, 1949)
Sani Smoke, Inc. v. United States
47 Cust. Ct. 483 (U.S. Customs Court, 1961)
Sani Smoke, Inc. v. United States
49 Cust. Ct. 505 (U.S. Customs Court, 1962)

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51 Cust. Ct. 383, 1963 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1294, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/berns-koppstein-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1963.