Frank P. Dow Co. v. United States

59 Cust. Ct. 697, 276 F. Supp. 1013, 1967 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2166
United States Customs Court·Decided October 11, 1967·No. R.D. 11370·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

Wilson, Judge:

These 46 appeals for reappraisement were consolidated for trial. Twenty-eight of them were entered at Portland, Oregon, 17 at Seattle, Washington, .and 1 at Tacoma, Washington.

The imported merchandise is invoiced as structural steel shapes, steel bolts and steel plates or castings. The invoices herein list only “bolts,” but plaintiffs’ exhibit 1-B indicates “bolts and nuts” were imported. The manufacturer and exporter, is Societa Anónima Elettrificazione, S.p.A., hereinafter referred to as S.A.E., of Milan, Italy. This merchandise was exported during 1960 and 1961. It was manufactured in accordance with certain specifications provided and approved by the United'States Department of the Interior, Bonneville Power Administration, hereinafter referred to as B.P.A., of Portland, Oregon. These specifications were in conformity with the “Terms and conditions of the invitation for bids,” No. 8960, and of the award to ‘S.A.E. under [698] contract No. 14-03-001-14466, hereinafter referred to as 14466 (exhibit 1-A).

Counsel for the respective parties agree that constructed value, as defined in section 402(d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Customs Simplification Act of 1956, 91 Treas. Dec. 295, T.D. 54165, is the proper basis for determining the value of the imported merchandise.

The invoiced prices -and the importers’ claimed constructed value in all appeals for reappraisement are, per pound:

Claimed Invoiced
■ values prices Merchandise
$0. 08479 $0.08123 Structural shapes
$0. 20
$0.12863 Plates or castings $0. 13

The appraised values on the basis of constructed value are as follows:

The Portland entries were appraised at unit invoice prices, per pound, plus 26.6 percent for structural shapes, plus 11.1 percent for steel bolts, and plus 19.6 percent for plates or castings.

The Seattle entries were appraised at $0.10284 for structural shapes, $0.2222 for steel bolts, and $0.1555 for plates or castings, all per pound.

The Tacoma entry was appraised at $0.1028 for structural shapes, and at $0.2221 for steel bolts, all per pound.

Although the appraiser at Portland added a percentage to each unit invoice price, the final unit price of each item of merchandise resulting therefrom is equal to the unit appraised value for e'ach identical item appraised at Seattle and Tacoma.

Plaintiffs’ claim is that the sole issue in this case is “whether or not plaintiff has established, by competent evidence, all of the elements of Constructed Value.” Furthermore, it asserts that an affidavit, plaintiffs’ exhibit 1, together with the testimony of plaintiffs’ witnesses, establishes all elements of constructed value. The plaintiffs also contend that the appraisements herein do not have any presumption of correctness because they do not separately specify the elements of constructed value as required by the statute, section 402(d), as amended, supra, “but merely state total unit value.”

The defendant contends that plaintiffs have failed to establish their claimed values as the correct statutory constructed value. Counsel for defendant also argues that the cost of drawings and the cost of tower tests, not included in plaintiffs claimed values, are part of constructed value. It is further argued by defendant that plaintiffs have not adequately shown general expenses and profit'. . •

[699] Section 402(d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, supra, is as follows:

(d) CONSTRUCTED Value. — For the purposes of this section, the constructed value of imported merchandise shall be the sum of — •

(1) 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 undergoing appraisement which would ordinarily permit the production of that particular merchandise in the ordinary course of business;'
(2) an amount for general expenses and profit equal to that usually reflected in sales of merchandise of the same general class or kind as the merchandise-undergoing appraisement which are made by producers in the country of exportation, in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade, for shipment to the United States; and
(3) the cost of all containers and coverings of whatever nature, and all other expenses incidental to placing the merchandise undergoing appraisement in condition, packed ready for shipment to the United States.

Plaintiffs’ collective exhibit 1 consists of the following documents: A joint affidavit made by the administrative manager, the chief engineer, and the commercial manager, respectively, of S.A.E.; the invitation to bid, No. 8960, which became contract No. 14466 (exhibit 1-A); a schedule listing the shipments involved herein and other shipments under said contract (exhibit 1-B); a template partly drilled, of one of the pieces involved in said contract (exhibit 1-C); and a copy of the shop detail drawing which supplied the dimensions (exhibit 1-D).

Defendant offered two reports of a customs representative dated at Nome, Italy, August 14,1962, and March 6,1963, respectively, received as exhibits A and B. Defendant’s brief merely refers to exhibit A without showing its applicability to the values returned by the appraisers. Upon consideration of exhibit A, the court is of opinion that it does not support the findings of value returned by the appraisers. Defendant’s 'brief, page 18, refers to exhibit B and points out that a representative of S.A.E. stated that the costs for testing four towers were set at $5,130, whereas the affidavit in collective exhibit 1 states that S.A.E. was paid $4,980 therefor. According to said affidavit, the latter figure equates to 0.23 lira per kilo based upon the total fabrication of 29,561,335 pounds of steel under 14466, concerning which said affidavit also states “but since these tests played no part in the fabri[700] cation of the steel supplied under Contract 14466, the cost thereof has not been included in the cost set forth infra.”

The joint affidavit in collective exhibit 1 alleges that the three affiants — •

* * * are responsible and in overall charge of the sale and fabrication of structural steel for use in electric transmission towers, including the sale and fabrication of such material for exportation to the United States and the keeping of financial records in connection therewith-

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Frank P. Dow Co. v. United States, 59 Cust. Ct. 697, 276 F. Supp. 1013, 1967 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 2166 (cusc 1967).

59 Cust. Ct. 697 (Frank P. Dow Co. v. United States) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Andy Mohan, Inc. v. United States
396 F. Supp. 1280 (U.S. Customs Court, 1975)
B. Shackman & Co. v. United States
67 Cust. Ct. 372 (U.S. Customs Court, 1971)
N. M. Albert Co. v. United States
62 Cust. Ct. 1029 (U.S. Customs Court, 1969)
Jaime Imports, Inc. v. United States
62 Cust. Ct. 798 (U.S. Customs Court, 1969)
Frank P. Dow Co. v. United States
60 Cust. Ct. 758 (U.S. Customs Court, 1968)