Schenley Distilleries, Inc. v. United States

28 Cust. Ct. 174, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 22
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedApril 22, 1952
DocketC. D. 1406
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 28 Cust. Ct. 174 (Schenley Distilleries, 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
Schenley Distilleries, Inc. v. United States, 28 Cust. Ct. 174, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 22 (cusc 1952).

Opinion

Johnson, Judge:

The question at issue in this case involves the quantity of alcoholic beverages upon which the collector assessed duty in reliquidating the entry in conformity with a decision and judgment of this court. The plaintiff claims that the collector should have assessed duty only upon the quantity subject to the imposition of internal revenue tax by reason of the amendment of paragraph 813 of the Tariff Act of 1930 by Public Law 612, approved June 8, 1948.

At the trial of this case counsel for the plaintiff contended that in reliquidating the entry pursuant to the judgment order of this court, the collector was required, because of Public Law 612, to assess duty on the same quantity on which internal revenue taxes were assessed. It was stipulated and agreed between counsel for both sides in open court as follows:

Mb. Qualey: * * *
I offer to stipulate with Government counsel that the merchandise involved in this protest consists of certain alcoholic beverages dutiable under the provisions of Schedule 8 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended; that the merchandise was entered by Schenley Distilleries, Inc., at the Port of Lawrenceburg in the Customs [175]*175District of Indiana on August 23, 1946 under Warehouse Entry 34h-L; that the entry was liquidated on May 1, 1947, wherein duty was assessed on the basis of 21402.99 Proof Gallons of liquor at the rate of $2.50 per gallon and Internal Revenue taxes were assessed on the basis of 21295.9 Proof Gallons at the rate of $9.00 per gallon; that protest was duly filed on June 13, 1947 against the liquidation of this entry claiming that duty had been assessed on too great a quantity of merchandise; that this protest when transmitted to the United States Customs Court was docketed as #132144r-K and submitted for decision of the Court on the basis of a stipulation that the issue involved was the same in all material respects as that involved in the case of United States v. Somerset Importers Ltd., 33 C. C. P. A. (Customs) 138 C. A. D. 328; that said protest 132144^K was decided on April 22, 1948 and was reported in Abstract No. 52288, as The Old Quaker Co. et al. v. United States, 20 Cust. Ct. 308; that the Judgment Order of the Court was in the following language—
It is hereby ordered adjudged and decreed: that the protests in this case enumerated in Schedule A hereto attached and made part of our decision herein, are sustained as to the claim for refund of duties upon such losses in transit of the alcoholic beverages contained in the packages covered by said entries as were caused by breakage, leakage or damage, insofar as such losses appear upon the gauger’s return, as verified by the affidavits of the importers, and only as to such as are 10 per cent or more of the contents of the packages, and the Collector will reliquidate the entries making allowance in duties in accordance with law.
I further offer to stipulate that in compliance with said mandate the entry described above was reliquidated by the Collector of Customs on December 23, 1948 which reliquidation resulted in the assessment of duty on 21352.76 Proof Gallons at the rate of $2.50 per gallon and the assessment of Internal Revenue taxes on the same quantity as was assessed on liquidation, namely, 21295.9 proof Gallons at the rate of $9.00 per gallon.
That while said entry was still before the Collector and prior to reliquidation a demand was made under date of August 19, 1948 requesting said Collector to make further allowances in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 612, approved June 8, 1948; that the said Collector refused to make such further allowances in reliquidating the entry and the instant protest was filed against said reliquidation.
Me. Vitale: Upon the authority of the Assistant Collector of Customs, Emmie Anderson, The Govenynent is willing to so stipulate.

Public Law 612 amended paragraph 813 to read as follows:

Pah. 813. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the duties imposed on beverages in this schedule which are subject also to internal revenue taxes shall be imposed only on the quantities subject to such taxes.

Public Law 612 further provides, however, in section 2 thereof, as follows:

Sec. 2. This amendment shall be effective as to all such merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the day following the date of the enactment of this Act and shall apply also to any such merchandise entered or withdrawn before that day with respect to which the liquidation of the entry or withdrawal, the exaction, or the decision as to dutiable quantity has not become final by reason of section 514, Tariff Act of 1930.

Sections 514 and 515 of the Tariff Act of 1930 provide as follows:

[176]*176SEC. 514. PROTEST AGAINST COLLECTOR’S DECISIONS.
Except as provided in subdivision (b) of section 516 of this Act (relating to protests by American manufacturers, producers, and wholesalers), all decisions of the collector, including the legality of all orders and findings entering into the same, as to the rate and amount of duties chargeable, and as to all exactions of whatever character (within the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Treasury), and his decisions excluding any merchandise from entry or delivery, under any provision of the customs laws, and his liquidation or reliquidation of any entry, or refusal to pay any claim for drawback, or his refusal to reliquidate any entry for a clerical error discovered within one year after the date of entry, or within sixty days after liquidation or reliquidation when such liquidation or reliquidation is made more than ten months after the date of entry, shall, upon the expiration of sixty days after the date of such liquidation, reliquidation, decision, or refusal, be final and conclusive upon all persons (including the United States and any officer thereof), unless the importer, consignee, or agent of the person paying such charge or exaction, or filing such claim for drawback, or seeking such entry or delivery, shall, within sixty days after, but not before such liquidation, reliquidation, decision, or refusal, as the case may be, as well in cases of merchandise entered in bond as for consumption, file a protest in writing with the collector setting forth distinctly and specifically, and in respect to each entry, payment, claim, decision, or refusal, the reasons for the objection thereto. The reliquidation of an entry shall not open such entry so that a protest may be filed against the decision of the collector upon any question not involved in such reliquidation.
SEC. 515. SAME.
Upon the filing of such protest the collector shall within ninety days thereafter review his decision, and may modify the same in whole or in part and thereafter remit or refund any duties, charge, or exaction found to have been assessed or collected in excess, or pay any drawback found due, of which notice shall be given as in the ease of the original liquidation, and against which protest may be filed within the same time and in the same manner and under the same conditions as against the original liquidation or decision.

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

Related

Schenley Distilleries, Inc. v. United States
40 C.C.P.A. 202 (Customs and Patent Appeals, 1953)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 Cust. Ct. 174, 1952 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 22, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schenley-distilleries-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1952.