Federal-Mogul Corp. v. United States

17 Ct. Int'l Trade 525, 824 F. Supp. 230, 17 C.I.T. 525, 15 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 1730, 1993 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 104
United States Court of International Trade·Decided June 4, 1993·No. Court No. 91-07-00533·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

Opinion

Tsoucalas, Judge:

Plaintiff, Federal-Mogul Corporation (“Federal-Mogul”), commenced this action to challenge certain aspects of the Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration’s (“ITA”) final results in the first administrative review of imports of antifriction bearings from the Federal Republic of Germany. Antifriction Bearings (Other Than Tapered Roller Bearings) and Parts Thereof From the Federal Republic of Germany; Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review (“Final Results”), 56 Fed. Reg. 31,692 (1991).

Background

On June 11, 1990, the ITA initiated an administrative review of imports of ball bearings, cylindrical roller bearings, spherical plain bearings and parts thereof from the Federal Republic of Germany. Antifriction Bearings Other Than Tapered Roller Bearings) and Parts Thereof From the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Romania, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand and the United Kingdom Initiation of Antidumping Administrative Reviews, 55 Fed. Reg. 23,575 (1990).

On March 15, 1991, the ITA published its preliminary determination in the administrative review. Antifriction Bearings (Other Than Tapered Roller Bearings) and Parts Thereof from the Federal Republic of Germany; Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Reviews and Partial Termination of Administrative Reviews, 56 Fed. Reg. 11,200 (1991).

On July 11, 1991, the ITA published its Final Results in this proceeding. Final Results, 56 Fed. Reg. 31,692.

Federal-Mogul has challenged the following actions by the ITA alleging that these actions were unsupported by substantial evidence on the administrative record and not in accordance with law: the ITA’s (1) use of a methodology for adjusting United States price (“USP”) and Foreign Market Value (“FMV”) for Germany’s value added tax (“VAT”) that failed to measure the tax incidence or “pass through” of the tax to the consumer in the home market, that granted a circumstance of sale (“COS”) adjustment to FMV to achieve tax neutrality, the incorrect calculation of the tax base for U.S. sales and the failure to impose a cap on [527]*527the VAT adjustment to USP; (2) method of calculating cash deposit rates for estimated duties; (3) failure to adjust home market selling expenses for delayed payment of the expenses; (4) adjustment of constructed value for differences in COS; (5) treatment of U.S. sales commissions; (6) failure to deduct antidumping duty related legal expenses from the exporter’s sales price (“ESP”); (7) failure to deduct estimated antidump-ing duties from USP; (8) use of the “all others” rate calculated during this administrative review as the new cash deposit rate for companies not examined during this review; and (9) alleged computer errors in regard to SKF GmbH and INA Walzlager Schaeffler KG’s dumping margins. Federal-Mogul Corporation’s Brief in Support of its Motion for Judgment on the Agency Record (“Federal-Mogul’s Brief”) at 5-76.

Discussion

The Court’s jurisdiction over this matter is derived from 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(a)(2) (1988) and 28 U.S.C. § 1581(c) (1988).

A final determination by the ITA in an administrative proceeding will be sustained unless that determination is “unsupported by substantial evidence on the record, or otherwise not in accordance with law.” 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(b)(1)(B) (1988). Substantial evidence is “relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.” Consolidated Edison Co. v. NLRB, 305 U.S. 197, 229 (1938); Alhambra Foundry Co. v. United States, 12 CIT 343, 345, 685 F. Supp. 1252, 1255 (1988).

1. Treatment of VAT:

Federal-Mogul challenges the ITA’s use of a methodology for adjusting USP and FMV for Germany’s VAT that failed to measure the tax incidence or “pass through” of the tax to the consumer in the home market, that granted a COS adjustment to FMV to achieve tax neutrality, the incorrect calculation of the tax base for U.S. sales and the failure to impose a cap on the VAT adjustment to USE Federal-Mogul’s Brief at 5-43.

Defendant argues that its actions were supported by substantial evidence on the administrative record and otherwise in accordance with law. Defendant’s Memorandum in Opposition to Plaintiff’s Motion for Judgment Upon the Agency Record (“Defendant’s Memorandum”) at 4-56.

Defendant-intervenors, SKF USA Inc. and SKF GmbH (“SKF”), NTN Bearing Corporation of America and NTN Kugellagerfabrik (Deutschland) GmbH (“NTN”), GMN Georg Muller Nürnberg AG (“GMN”) and FAG Kugelfischer Georg Schafer KGaA (“FAG”), essentially support defendant’s arguments on these issues. Opposition of SKF USAInc. and SKF GmbH to Federal-Mogul’s Motion for Judgment on the Agency Record (“SKF’s Opposition”) at 5-10; Response Brief of Defendant-intervenor NTN Bearing Corporation of America and NTN Kugellagerfabrik (Deutschland) GmbH (“NTN’s Response”) at 9-23; Memorandum of Defendant-intervenor GMN Georg Muller Nürnberg [528]*528AG in Opposition to Plaintiff’s Motion for Judgment Upon the Agency Record (‘‘GMN’sMemorandum”) at 8-12; Memorandum of Defendant-intervenor FAG Kugelfischer Georg Schafer KGaA in Opposition to Plaintiff’s Motion for Judgment Upon the Agency Record (“FAG’s Memorandum”) at 8-12.

For a more detailed discussion of Federal-Mogul and defendant’s arguments on these issues, see this Court’s decision in Federal-Mogul Corp. v. United States, 17 CIT 88, 92-100, 813 F. Supp. 856 (1993).

This Court has fully addressed these arguments and adheres to its decision on these issues in Federal-Mogul, 17 CIT at 100, 813 F. Supp. 856 (1993). This Court finds that the ITA’s determination that 19 U.S.C. § 1677a(d)(l)(C) does not require the ITA to conduct an analysis of tax incidence in the German antifriction bearings market and that the ITA’s use of the net USP including profit as the tax base is reasonable and supported by law. In addition, this Court remands this case to the ITA to allow the ITA to add the full amount of VAT paid on home market sales to FMV without adjustment and for the ITA to examine the administrative record to determine the exact monetary amount of VAT paid on each sale in the home market and make sure that the amount added to the comparable USP sale is less than or equal to this amount in conformity with this Court’s opinion in Federal-Mogul, 17 CIT at 108, 813 F. Supp. 856 (1993).

2. Calculation of Cash Deposit Rates:

In this administrative review, the ITA used two different methodologies for the actual calculation of dumping margins in cases where ESP sales were used: one for assessing duties on entries covered by the review, and the other for setting the cash deposit future entries of the subject merchandise. Final Results, 56 Fed. Reg. at 31,693-95, 31,698-702.

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Federal-Mogul Corp. v. United States, 17 Ct. Int'l Trade 525, 824 F. Supp. 230, 17 C.I.T. 525, 15 I.T.R.D. (BNA) 1730, 1993 Ct. Intl. Trade LEXIS 104 (cit 1993).

17 Ct. Int'l Trade 525 (Federal-Mogul Corp. v. United States) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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