V. I. Jewelry Manuf. Corp. v. United States

63 Cust. Ct. 723, 1969 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3713
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedDecember 29, 1969
DocketV.D. 156; Entry No. 605684
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 63 Cust. Ct. 723 (V. I. Jewelry Manuf. Corp. 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
V. I. Jewelry Manuf. Corp. v. United States, 63 Cust. Ct. 723, 1969 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3713 (cusc 1969).

Opinion

Rao, Chief Judge:1

The above-designated protest has been remanded to me by virtue of the decision in V. I. Jewelry Manuf. Corp. v. United States, 57 Cust. Ct. 7, C.D. 2709 (1966), for a determination of the value of the merchandise involved herein. The First Division of this court held the appraisement and subsequent liquidation void on the ground that the appraiser failed to give notice of a “change in the classification” resulting from a reduction in the entered value. (19 U.S.C., section 1501.)

The merchandise consisted of certain cigarette lighters manufactured by the plaintiff importer in the Virgin Islands and shipped on consignment to itself in Hew York, N.Y.,'on March 26, 1958.2 The [725]*725merchandise does not appear on the Final List promulgated by the Secretary of the Treasury (T.D. 54521) from which is withheld application of section 402 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Customs Simplification Act of 1956. This section or new law is therefore applicable to the merchandise herein.

The merchandise was appraised at $2.35 per dozen, net packed, under statutory constructed value as provided by section 402(d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Customs Simplification Act of 1956.

The plaintiff claims that the merchandise is subject to appraisement under statutory export value, section 402(b), and that this proper dutiable value is the entered value of $4.50 per dozen, net packed, based on offers and sales of such or similar merchandise to unrelated purchasers.

The plaintiff is claiming the higher value than that found by the appraiser in view of the provisions of section 301 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, which provides for free entry of articles manufactured in insular possessions which do not contain foreign material content of more than 50 percent of the total value.

The statutes involved herein are as follows:

Section 402(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Customs Simplification Act of 1956:

(b) Export Value. — For the purposes of this section, the export value of imported merchandise shall be the price, at the time of exportation to the United States of the merchandise undergoing appraisement, at which such or similar merchandise is freely sold or, in the absence of sales, offered for sale in the principal markets of the country of exportation, in the usual wholesale quantities and in the ordinary course of trade, for exportation to the United States, plus, when not included in such price, the cost of all containers and coverings of whatever nature and all other expenses incidental to placing the merchandise in condition, packed ready for shipment to the United States.

Section 301, Tariff Act of 1930, as added by the Act of September 1,1954,68 Stat. 1139 (19 U.S.O., section 1301a) :

There shall be levied, collected, and paid upon all articles coming into the United States from any of its insular possessions, except Puerto Eico, the rates of duty which are required to be levied, collected, and paid upon like articles imported from foreign countries; except that all articles the growth or product of any such possession, or manufactured or produced in any such possession from materials the growth, product, or manufacture of any such possession or of the United States, or of both, which do not contain foreign materials to the value of more than 50 per centum of their total value, coming into the United States directly from any such possession, and all articles previously imported into the United States with payment of all applicable duties and taxes [726]*726imposed upon or by reason of importation which are shipped from the United States, without remission, refund, or drawback of such duties or taxes, directly to the possession from which it is being returned by direct shipment, shall be admitted free of duty upon compliance with shell regulations as to proof of origin as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. In determining whether an article produced or manufactured in any such insular possession contains foreign materials to the value of more than 50 per centum, no material shall be considered foreign which, at the time such article is entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, in the United States for consumption, may be imported into the United States from a foreign country, other than Cuba or' the Philippine Republic, free of duty.

Section 402(d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, 46 Stat. 708, as amended by the Customs Simplification Act of 1956, 70 Stat. 943:

(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 tho 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.

The record consists of the testimony of one witness, Jerry Simon, for the plaintiff and eight documentary exhibits offered by the plaintiff. The entry papers were put into evidence without being marked. The defendant offered no testimony. Both parties submitted proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law.

Mr. Simon, who testified previously in Peacock Sales Co., Inc. v. United States, supra, hereinafter referred to as Peacock (that testimony, given under date of February 16, 1966, was duly incorporated into the case at bar), testified on behalf of the plaintiff substantially as follows:

He stated -that during 1957 and 1958 he was associated with International Glass Co., Peacock Sales Co. and V. I. Jewelry Corp. He [727]*727was 'liaison.representative between International Glass Co. and V. I. Jewelry, and was also manager of V. I. Jewelry. He commuted between New York and the Virgin Islands and spent 15 to 20 weeks each year in the- Virgin Islands. His duties consisted of coordinating manufacture 'and production; and he was also in charge of sales.

Towards the end of 1957, V. I. Jewelry started to sell its merchandise to jobbers and wholesalers in Puerto Eico. Puerto Eico was selected primarily because of its close proximity to the Virgin Islands and also because it was believed that it would be easier to introduce the merchandise into Puerto Eico, where the witness had personal contacts.

Cigarette lighters produced by V. I.

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Related

United States v. Mitsui & Co.
70 Cust. Ct. 301 (U.S. Customs Court, 1973)

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Bluebook (online)
63 Cust. Ct. 723, 1969 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 3713, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/v-i-jewelry-manuf-corp-v-united-states-cusc-1969.