New York Credit Men's Adjustment Bureau, Inc. v. United States

64 Cust. Ct. 770, 314 F. Supp. 1246, 1970 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3100
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedJune 30, 1970
DocketR.D. 11715; Entry Nos. M 1271A, etc.
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 64 Cust. Ct. 770 (New York Credit Men's Adjustment Bureau, 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
New York Credit Men's Adjustment Bureau, Inc. v. United States, 64 Cust. Ct. 770, 314 F. Supp. 1246, 1970 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3100 (cusc 1970).

Opinion

Rao, Chief Judge:

The merchandise involved in these appeals for reappraisement, consolidated at the trial, consists of men’s and boys’ cotton sport shirts manufactured in Jamaica, British West Indies, by Eton Mills, Ltd., and exported to the United States during 1961 through 1966 through the port of Miami, Florida.

The merchandise was appraised on the basis of constructed value, as that value is defined in section 402(d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Customs Simplification Act of 1956. The appraise-ments were based on the invoice unit values per dozen plus the sum of $1.00 per dozen.1

Plaintiffs do not contest the fact that the proper basis of appraisement is constructed value, as defined in said section 402(d), and both parties agree that the merchandise does not appear on the Final List published by the Secretary of the Treasury, 93 Treas. Dec. 14, T.D. 54521.

Plaintiffs claim that the addition of $1.00 per dozen to the invoice unit prices was erroneous in that it represents costs incurred after the merchandise was packed, ready for shipment to the United States, and forms no part of constructed value.

Defendant contends that the invoice unit price does not represent constructed value; that the manufacturer, Eton Mills Ltd., was related to the importers, Cannon Point Manufacturing, Inc., and its successor, Townley Shirts, Inc.; that the transactions between Eton Mills and the importers were disregarded by the appraiser by virtue of section 402 (g) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and that the $1.00 addition was a portion of general expenses, i.e., marketing expenses, [772]*772which would have been incurred by Eton Mills had it not been for the relationship between the manufacturer and the importers.

The pertinent provisions of section 402 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, are as follows: .

Section 402(d)
(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.
* * * * * * *
Section 402(g)
(g) TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN BELATED PERSONS.-
(1) For the purposes of subsection (c)(1) or (d), as the case may be, a transaction directly or indirectly between persons specified in any one of the subdivisions in paragraph (2) of this subsection may be disregarded if, in the case of any element of value required to be considered, the amount representing that element does not fairly reflect the amount usually reflected in sales in the market under consideration of merchandise of the same general class or kind as the merchandise undergoing appraisement. If a transaction is disregarded under the preceding sentence and there are no other transactions available for consideration, then, for the purposes of subsection (d), the determination of the amount required to be considered shall be based on the best evidence available as to what the amount would have been if the transaction had occurred between persons not specified in any one of the subdivisions in paragraph (2).
(2) The persons referred to'in paragraph (1) are:
(A) Members of a family, including brothers and sisters [773]*773(whether by the whole or half blood), spouse, ancestors, and lineal descendants;
(B) Any officer or director of an organization and such organization;
(C) Partners;
(D) Employer and employee;
(E) Any person directly or indirectly owning, controlling, or holding with power to vote, 5 per centum or more of the outstanding voting stock or shares of any organization and such organization; and
(F) Two or more persons directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with, any person.

The record consists of the testimony of John H. Lowery, Operations Officer, Glassification and Value Division, United States Customs, Miami, Florida, and David M. Zala an officer of Cannon Point, Town-ley Shirts, and Eton Mills, and several exhibits.

Mr. Lowery testified that he was responsible for the classification and appraisement of 135 of the entries involved herein. He was shown the papers accompanying appeal 1163/11693 and stated that the red ink notations reflect the expression of his valuation of the merchandise; that the same would be true of the other entries; and that the appraiser followed his notations in appraising the merchandise. The red ink notation states “Appraised at invoice unit value, plus $1.00 dozen, packed.” The “Notice of Action - Increase in Duties”, received in evidence as exhibit 1, states:

Contemplated appraised value-at invoice unit value ($11.50 dz.), plus $1.00 doz. selling c o m m i s sion, packed.
Note: The same principle will apply to all subsequent importations of Cotton Shirts by your firm from Jamaica (Mfr. Eton Mills Ltd.)
The relationship between Eton Mills & Cannon Point is more than one of merely buyer & seller; both firms are owned by the same parties. If this relationship did not exist, Eton would of necessity incur the addional [sic] expense in marketing the shirts for export to the U.S. It follows that the markup added by Cannon point [sic] (so-called profit of $1.00 selling comm.) would be an element of Constructed Value & dutiable.

[774]*774Mr. Lowery testified that be obtained the figure of $1.00 from Mr. Zala wbo called it a “selling commission” but that it was in actuality a marketing expense which would have been incurred by Eton Mills if it had been selling the merchandise. He said that the invoice value did not include any such expense; that such expense was assumed by Camion Point, and that the dollar was added to reflect a general expense which would normally be incurred by a manufacturer in the sale of merchandise at arm’s length. He said it referred to the expenses incurred by Cannon Point in selling the merchandise in the United States and was included in Cannon Point’s markup'.

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Bluebook (online)
64 Cust. Ct. 770, 314 F. Supp. 1246, 1970 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3100, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/new-york-credit-mens-adjustment-bureau-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1970.