HQ 545349 - Internal Advice 39/93; Freight Rebates; Transportation Costs; Price Actually Paid or Payable; Generra Sportswear; HRLs 544538, 542975, 543799 - United States International Trade Commision Rulings

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HQ 545349

March 24, 1995

VAL CO:R:C:V 545349 LPF

CATEGORY: VALUATION

District Director
U.S. Customs Service
1000 2nd Avenue - Suite 2200
Seattle, WA 98104

RE: Internal Advice 39/93; Freight Rebates; Transportation Costs; Price Actually Paid or Payable; Generra Sportswear; HRLs 544538, 542975, 543799

Dear Sir:

This is in response to your request for internal advice regarding freight rebates or "allowances" paid by bridge rail carriers to Dow Chemical Canada, Inc., a foreign seller of chemical products. A meeting was held with counsel on January 26, 1995. We regret the delay in responding.

FACTS:

Dow Chemical Canada, Inc. ("Dow Canada") sells Canadian manufactured chemical products to the importer, Dow Chemical Co. ("Dow"), both for Dow's own consumption and for resale by Dow in the United States. Dow Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow. Although the parties are related pursuant to section 402(g) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (TAA), codified at 19 U.S.C. 1401a, counsel submits that Dow's transfer pricing results in a profit to Dow Canada which is consistent with a typical profit in the industry and with profits realized on sales to unrelated parties.

The chemicals are sold to Dow FOB Dow Canada plant, freight prepaid, and are shipped in railroad tank cars to the United States. Dow Canada's commercial invoice separately indicates the price charged for the chemicals and the freight. The price Dow Canada charges Dow for the chemicals is a fixed intercompany price, derived by deducting from either an estimated or actual U.S. market price the estimated expenses incurred in bringing the merchandise to the United States, including railroad freight charges, import duties, and other delivery costs. From that net amount a negotiated percentage is deducted, with the objective of realizing a profit for each of the two entities. This fixed commercial contract price is then invoiced by Dow Canada for sales made to Dow. The price is not changed or modified if any estimated cost taken into account in arriving at the FOB plant price is ultimately different from the actual cost.

The estimated freight costs used in the computation of the FOB plant price approximate the actual freight costs that are invoiced by the rail carrier for the international shipment from the Canadian plant to the U.S. destination. Dow Canada invoices Dow for the FOB plant, freight prepaid price. Following the shipment, Dow pays for the merchandise at the total invoiced amount covering the FOB price plus freight.

Dow Canada receives freight rebates, or allowances, on qualifying through shipments from certain bridge carrier railroads with whom it has agreements. The allowance is usually a fixed amount per tank car shipment. There are several reasons the allowances are granted. For instance, the physical movement of the goods may involve more than one rail carrier, and there may be options as to routing depending upon trackage, ownership or contracted rights of the various railroads that may be competing for Dow Canada's business. In addition, the railroad may achieve economies of scale if a certain volume of rail shipments are made under the agreement.

The freight allowance agreement always sets forth specific conditions under which the allowance will be granted. For example, there may be a requirement that the shipper utilize that rail or bridge carrier for a certain percentage of shipments to a specific destination. Also, an agreement may provide for increasing allowances corresponding with increases in freight volume.

Dow Canada applies for rebate by identifying, usually on a quarterly basis, all eligible shipments. A lump sum amount is then paid by the railroad to Dow Canada. Sometimes, Dow applies for the allowances on behalf of Dow Canada and remits the rebate in full to Dow Canada after being deposited in a temporary Dow account.

ISSUE:

Whether the rebates for rail shipments from the freight carriers to Dow Canada are to be taken into account in determining the price actually paid or payable for the imported merchandise.

LAW AND ANALYSIS:

As you are aware, the preferred method of appraisement is transaction value pursuant to section 402(b) of the TAA, codified at 19 U.S.C. 1401a. However, imported merchandise is appraised under transaction value only if the buyer and seller are not related, or if related, the transaction value is deemed to be acceptable. In this case, Dow Canada, the seller, and Dow, the buyer, are related pursuant to section 402(g)(1)(G) of the TAA. Section 402(b)(2)(B) of the TAA provides that a transaction value between related parties will be deemed acceptable if an examination of the circumstances of sale indicates that the relationship between the parties did not influence the price actually paid or payable or where the transaction value closely approximated certain "test" values.

Assuming, as counsel states, that the price is adequate to ensure recovery of all costs plus a profit equivalent to Dow Canada's overall profit realized over a representative period of time in sales of merchandise of the same class or kind, we would not consider the acceptability of transaction value to be an issue at this time. However, based on the facts presented, our primary concern is with the manner in which the freight rebates should be treated for purposes of determining the price actually paid or payable for the merchandise.

In this regard, section 402(b)(1) of the TAA provides, in pertinent part, that the transaction value of imported merchandise is the "price actually paid or payable for the merchandise when sold for exportation to the United States" plus enumerated statutory additions. The "price actually paid or payable" is defined in section 402(b)(4)(A) of the TAA as the "total payment (whether direct or indirect, and exclusive of any costs, charges, or expenses incurred for transportation, insurance, and related services incident to the international shipment of the merchandise...) made, or to be made, for the imported merchandise by the buyer to, or for the benefit of, the seller."

An examination of Generra Sportswear Co. v. United States, 8 CAFC 132, 905 F.2d 377 (1990) indicates that such freight rebates are part of the price actually paid or payable for the merchandise. In deciding whether quota charges were part of the price actually paid or payable for the merchandise, the Generra court held that "the term total payment' is all-inclusive" and that "as long as the quota payment was made to the seller in exchange for merchandise sold for export to the United States, the payment properly may be included in transaction value, even if the payment represents something other than the per se value of the goods."

Counsel submits that because freight costs, unlike quota charges, are statutorily exempt from dutiability, Generra is inapplicable to such payments. On the contrary, it is our position that the approach taken by the Generra court indicates that, regardless of such statutory exemptions, if payments are made to the seller for merchandise sold for export, even though not for the value of the goods per se, they are understood to be part of the price actually paid or payable.

Specifically, it is Customs position that if the importer of record pays the seller more than the actual cost of the prepaid freight charges, the overpayment may be viewed as part of the "total payment" for the imported merchandise and therefore, by statute, part of the dutiable value of the merchandise. Furthermore, regardless of the fact that the rebates are contracted for separately from the freight and merchandise, the rebates are considered part of the price because the price actually paid or payable, by definition, reflects the "total payment" for imported merchandise.

Counsel cites Headquarters Ruling Letter (HRL) 542975, issued March 9, 1983, to substantiate their position that the rebates may not be included as part of the price actually paid or payable because they are paid to Dow Canada for the benefit of Dow, or, in other words, for the benefit of the importer as opposed to the seller. Based on the facts presented, however, it appears that the rebates actually are paid to Dow Canada for its benefit. Specifically, we note that the price paid by Dow is not changed or modified if any estimated costs for the freight charges paid by Dow Canada ultimately are different from the actual cost and that when Dow applies for the allowances on behalf of Dow Canada it remits the rebate in full to them.

In the context of the instant case whereby such payments are made to the seller, it is our position that the total payment for the imported merchandise includes any difference between the estimated and actual freight costs. This position is consistent with HRL 544538, issued December 17, 1992, where Customs determined that rail rebates paid by an inland freight shipping company, for the benefit of a party related to the seller, were to be taken into account in determining the transaction value of the imported merchandise.

It is our understanding that the shipment terms in HRL 544538 were FOB. Contrary to the position advanced by counsel, Customs decisions do not provide that only in CIF or C&F transactions shall such rebates be taken into account in determining the transaction value of the imported merchandise. Furthermore, it also is our opinion that the instant decision is in accord with HRL 543799, issued October 10, 1986, since the amount at issue in HRL 543799 reflected actual, as opposed to estimated, costs for international transportation and related services.

HOLDING:

The rebates for rail shipments from the freight carriers to Dow Canada are to be taken into account in determining the transaction value. The price actually paid or payable for the imported merchandise includes any difference between the estimated and actual freight costs.

This decision should be mailed by your office to the internal advice requester no later than sixty days from the date of this letter. On that date the Office of Regulations and Rulings will take steps to make the decision available to Customs personnel via the Customs Rulings Module in ACS and the public via the Diskette Subscription Service, Freedom of Information Act and other public access channels.

Sincerely,

John Durant, Director
Commercial Rulings Division

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