Paul A. Straub & Co. v. United States

27 Cust. Ct. 442, 1951 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1372
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedSeptember 12, 1951
DocketNo. 8047; Entry No. 703804
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 27 Cust. Ct. 442 (Paul A. Straub & 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
Paul A. Straub & Co. v. United States, 27 Cust. Ct. 442, 1951 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1372 (cusc 1951).

Opinion

Johnson, Judge:

This reappraisement involves only one question, that is, whether or not the inland freight from the principal market for decorated chinaware ornaments, which was included in the unit price of the merchandise,' forms a part of the value of the merchandise for duty purposes.

At the trial the record consisted solely of an oral stipulation of agreement between counsel for both sides of the facts involved, as follows:

(1) That on or about the time of exportation herein such or similar merchandise was freely offered for sale to all purchasers in Selb-Stadt, Germany, in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade for exportation to the-United States including the cost of all containers and coverings of whatever nature, and all other costs, charges and expenses incident to placing the merchandise in condition, packed ready for shipment to the United States, at the F, O. B. Bremen prices appearing upon the invoice, which included an item of “EM 91.80 costs for freight Selb-Stadt f. o. b. Bremen.”
(2) That the merchandise was appraised on the basis of export value; eon-cededly the proper basis for appraisement.
(3) That there was no foreign value for such or similar merchandise at or about-the time of exportation here involved. ’ \
(4) That the only issue is whether the above item invoiced as freight forms part of the statutory export value.
[443]*443(5) That if the above amount included as inland freight forms no part of the statutory export value of the goods, then the entered value represents the correct export value.
(6) That if the above amount included as inland freight forms part of the statutory value of the goods, then the appraised value represents the correct, export value.
(7) That on or about the time of exportation herein, the factory at Selb-Stadt was the principal market in Germany for such or similar merchandise.
(8) That on or about the time of exportation herein, all sales and offers for sale of such or similar merchandise were made at Selb-Stadt, Germany on an F. O. B. Bremen basis and resales [sic] or offers for sale were made on an at factory basis.

It will be noted that paragraph 8 of the stipulation refers to “resales or offers for sale” made on an at-factory basis. From argument of counsel it is clear that the word “resales” was misquoted in the oral stipulation, in the first place, because it is meaningless, and in the second place, because the two words “no sales” were shown by counsel to have been intended.

Counsel for the plaintiff contends that the item of freight from Selb to Bremen forms no part of the dutiable value of the merchandise because it is a charge arising after the goods left the principal market and were destined for shipment to the United States.

Counsel for the Government contends that the item of freight is a part of the dutiable value, and it makes no difference whether the sales are for home consumption or for export. It is argued that there is nothing to show that the merchandise was ever sold f. o. b. factory or f. o. b. Selb, and that when the goods are only sold and offered for sale f. o. b. Bremen, the seaport, such sales are equivalent to sales made f. o. b. destination, where such freight charges have been held to be dutiable.

After a careful consideration of the briefs of counsel and a review of all of the cases cited by both sides, I am convinced that the item of freight to Bremen is not a dutiable charge. Contrary to the interpretation placed upon the stipulation of parties by counsel for the Government that “This merchandise could only be obtained at one price, anywhere in Germany, whether it be the principal malket or any other place in Germany,” the facts are that the goods could be-obtained only at the market place, the principal market, Selb, and that there was no foreign value for the merchandise. The goods were sold for export only. Counsel for the Government appear to base their insistence that the inland freight is part of the value on the argument that these goods were not sold for delivery in the principal market, and, therefore, unless the goods were shown to have been sold upon that basis or upon the basis of the cost of the goods plus the freight charges to seaport, the inland freight is a dutiable item and that in all cases where the goods have been sold f. o. b. seaport or c. i. f. destination' in the United States there was a choice of prices.

[444]*444In Reap. Circ. 32977, certain Swiss cheese was invoiced at a uniform unit price of 360 francs per 100 kilos f. o. b. Basle, Switzerland, the port of exportation. This f. o. b. price included in the unit value the freight, from the principal market or place of production. The appraiser added back the inland freight as invoiced. There, also, the only question was whether the item of inland freight was a part of the export value. The court, in allowing the deduction, stated:

In ascertaining the foreign market value of imported merchandise it has long been the rule to allow as a nondutiable item any inland freight on the merchandise from the principal market or place of production to other points or places for exportation to the United States.

In' the case of United States v. A. L. Tuska Son & Co., Inc., 1 Cust. Ct. 767, Reap. Dec. 4468, involving merchandise manufactured in Osaka, Japan, the inland freight was deducted on entry, which was disallowed by the appraiser. There, also, the Government contended that the freight should not have been deducted as it was a dutiable charge. The trial court found that the inland freight was properly deductible. Upon appeal, the court held that Osaka was a principal market for the goods, “and upon such finding we hold as matter of law that the item of inland freight is properly deductible * *

In United States v. American Import Co., 8 Cust. Ct. 737, Reap. Dec. 5642, the question was whether or not a charge for inland freight from Moji, Japan, to Kobe, Japan, should be added to the invoice prices as a dutiable charge. The lower court found that Moji was one of the principal markets in Japan for the merchandise and that Kobe was another principal market and, therefore, that the export value of the merchandise would not include the addition for freight from Moji to Kobe. It appeared in this case that the goods were shipped directly for export from Moji and had never been sent to Kobe, but the appraiser, finding Kobe a principal market, had advanced the goods in previous cases by adding the freight to Kobe, and the importer in making entry in that case had added the freight on entry to meet such advances of the appraiser. The court cited the case of United States v. C. V. Vance (International Milling Co.) et al., 72 Treas. Dec. 1011, Reap. Dec. 4081, where there was more than one principal market. The Government there contended that the largest market should be taken as the principal market and that freight from Edmonton, Canada, one of the principal markets, to Winnipeg, Canada, the largest market, should be included as a dutiable charge. The court, finding that Edmonton was also a principal market, held that the freight should not be included in the dutiable value. Following the principle in that case, it was held in the American Import Co.

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Related

United States v. Paul A. Straub & Co.
41 C.C.P.A. 209 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1954)
United States v. Paul A. Straub & Co.
30 Cust. Ct. 619 (U.S. Customs Court, 1953)

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Bluebook (online)
27 Cust. Ct. 442, 1951 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1372, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paul-a-straub-co-v-united-states-cusc-1951.