95-21909. Notice to Test the Use of Reconciliation for Adjustments Made to the Price of Imported Merchandise by Related Party Companies under 26 U.S.C. 482  

  • [Federal Register Volume 60, Number 171 (Tuesday, September 5, 1995)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 46141-46145]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 95-21909]
    
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
    
    Notice to Test the Use of Reconciliation for Adjustments Made to 
    the Price of Imported Merchandise by Related Party Companies under 26 
    U.S.C. 482
    
    AGENCY: Customs Service, Department of the Treasury.
    
    ACTION: Final notice.
    
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    SUMMARY: This notice announces Customs plan to conduct a test regarding 
    the use of reconciliation for those related party importers which have 
    reason to believe upward adjustments may be made to the price of 
    imported merchandise for tax purposes pursuant to 26 U.S.C. 482. This 
    notice invites public participation in the test, and sets out the 
    eligibility requirements for voluntary participation in the testing of 
    reconciliation, for this purpose, and describes the basis on which 
    Customs will select participants.
    
    DATES: The test will commence no earlier than October 1, 1995, and will 
    run until December 31, 1996. To participate in this reconciliation 
    test, the application must be filed and approved by Customs on or 
    before October 1, 1995.
    
    ADDRESSES: To be considered for voluntary participation in this test 
    applications should be submitted to Mr. William F. Inch, Director, 
    Office of Regulatory Audit, Office of Strategic Trade, U.S. Customs 
    Service, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 2311, Washington, DC 
    20229-0001.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Krimski 202-927-0411.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    
    Background
    
    Section 1059A of the Internal Revenue Code
    
        Section 1059A of the Internal Revenue Code provides that in related 
    party transactions the amount of any costs--
        (1) Which are taken into account in computing the basis or 
    inventory cost of such property by the purchaser, and
        (2) Which are also taken into account in computing the customs 
    value of such property shall not, for purposes of computing such basis 
    or inventory cost for purposes of this chapter, be greater than the 
    amount of such costs taken into account in computing such customs 
    value.
        The legislative history of section 1059A indicates that Congress 
    intended to preclude the ``whipsaw'' effect on U.S. revenue which 
    occurs when a party is allowed to claim a price for ``computing the 
    customs value of such property by the purchaser'' that is lower than 
    the price claimed for tax purposes.
        When section 1059A was enacted, Congress was aware that the Customs 
    value statute recently had been amended to make price paid the critical 
    cost factor taken into account by the Customs Service in valuing goods 
    for duty purposes. The legislative history of section 1059A also 
    indicates that Congress wanted section 1059A to address this situation 
    by attempting to place a ceiling on ``the amount of any (such) costs'' 
    that can be claimed for tax purposes. All of the applicable legislative 
    reports indicate, without exception, that Congress intended that 
    section 1059A would instill some uniformity on the amount of costs 
    which may be claimed to the IRS for tax purposes by limiting the amount 
    of such costs to the amount claimed to, and taken into account by, the 
    Customs Service in computing the Customs value.
        The legislative history did state that appropriate adjustments may 
    be made in cases where customs pricing rules differ from appropriate 
    tax rules--as, for example, with the inclusion or exclusion of freight 
    charges. Finally, the history states section 1059A applies to transfer 
    prices subject to section 482 of the Internal Revenue Code.
        In July of 1994, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued final 
    regulations implementing 26 U.S.C. 482. The IRS subsequently began 
    considering whether and to what extent the 1059A regulations should be 
    amended in the context of the new section 482 regulations. The section 
    482 regulations, specifically 26 CFR 1.482-1(a)(3), permits a 
    controlled taxpayer, if necessary to reflect an ``arm's length 
    result,'' to ``report on timely filed U.S. income tax return (including 
    extensions) the results of its controlled transactions based upon 
    prices different from those actually charged.'' The IRS is considering 
    whether the 1059A regulations should be amended to allow the taxpayer, 
    under appropriate circumstances, to make the upward section 482 
    adjustment.
        This document announces a test that will facilitate the IRS/Customs 
    decision 
    
    [[Page 46142]]
    as to whether reconciliation procedures provide a viable and 
    appropriate circumstance for a taxpayer/importer to make a post entry 
    upward adjustment to the price of imported merchandise.
    
    Customs Value Law
    
        For Customs purposes the appraised value of imported merchandise is 
    determined pursuant to section 402 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as 
    amended by the Trade Agreements Act (TAA) of 1979. Transaction value is 
    the primary basis of appraisement. Transaction value is defined in 
    section 402(b)(1) as the ``price actually paid or payable for the 
    merchandise when sold for exportation to the United States'' plus 
    specified statutory additions.
        Pursuant to section 402(b)(2)(A)(iv) the transaction value of 
    imported merchandise shall be the appraised value only if the buyer and 
    seller are not related, or if the buyer and the seller are related, the 
    transaction value is acceptable under 402(b)(2)(B). Section 
    402(b)(2)(B) provides that transaction value between a related buyer 
    and seller is acceptable if the buyer demonstrates that the declared 
    transaction value meets one of the following two tests: (1) 
    Circumstances of the Sale or (2) Test Values.
        The reconciliation test, announced in this document, is designed 
    for participants that engage in related party transactions.
    
    Related Party Transactions
    
        Under section 402(g) of the TAA the following persons are treated 
    as related:
        (1) Members of the same family, including brothers and sisters 
    (whether by whole or half blood), spouse, ancestors, and lineal 
    descendants.
        (2) Any officer or director of an organization and such 
    organization.
        (3) An officer or director of an organization and an officer or 
    director of another organization, if each such individual is also an 
    officer or director in the other organization.
        (4) Partners.
        (5) Employer and employee.
        (6) Any person directly or indirectly owning, controlling, or 
    holding with power to vote, 5 percent or more of the outstanding voting 
    stock or shares of any organization and such organization.
        (7) Two or more persons directly or indirectly controlling, 
    controlled by, or under common control with, any person.
        For purposes of 402(g)(G), the phrase ``two or more persons 
    directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common 
    control with, any person'' is understood to cover the following 
    situations:
        (1) Where one of them directly or indirectly controls the other;
        (2) Where both of them are directly or indirectly controlled by a 
    third person; or
        (3) Where together they directly or indirectly control a third 
    person.
        For purposes of this test, Customs will consider the fact that the 
    related party importer has reason to believe that an upward adjustment 
    may be made to the price as evidence that the relationship may have 
    affected the price actually paid or payable for the imported 
    merchandise. Therefore, transaction value may not be acceptable.
        Rather, the merchandise may be appraised under section 402(f). The 
    appraised value pursuant to section 402(f) will be derived from the 
    transaction value method. That is, the appraised value will be the 
    price for the imported merchandise after the upward section 482 
    adjustment is undertaken by the importer/taxpayer plus the applicable 
    statutory additions: Packing, selling commissions, assists, royalties/
    license fees and proceeds of subsequent resale. In order to participate 
    in the test, the importer/taxpayer must agree that 402(f) is the proper 
    basis of appraisement, in the event an upward section 482 adjustment 
    is, in fact, claimed for tax purposes.
    
    Title VI of the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
    
        In order for the importer to comply with Customs value law, when 
    making upward adjustments, a mechanism must be established that permits 
    the importer to submit information related to the upward adjustment 
    after the time of entry. Customs has determined that the reconciliation 
    provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation 
    Act (the Act) create a possible vehicle permitting these circumstances. 
    Specifically, Title VI of the Act, Public Law 103-182, 107 Stat. 2057 
    (December 8, 1993), contains provisions pertaining to Customs 
    Modernization (107 Stat. 2170). Subtitle B of Title VI establishes the 
    National Customs Automation Program (NCAP), an automated and electronic 
    system for the processing of commercial importations. Section 637 in 
    Subtitle B of the Act amends section 484 of the Tariff Act of 1930 by 
    establishing a new subsection (b) entitled ``Reconciliation''. 
    Reconciliation is a planned component of the NCAP. Section 631 of the 
    Act authorizes tests of planned NCAP components. Section 101.9(b) of 
    the Customs Regulations, provides the regulations governing the testing 
    of NCAP components. See T.D. 95-21 (60 FR 14211, March 16, 1995).
        This test is established pursuant to those regulations.
    
    Reconciliation
    
        Reconciliation will allow an importer to provide Customs with 
    information not available at the time of entry summary filing and which 
    is necessary to ascertain the final classification and appraisement of 
    imported merchandise. The reconciliation must be filed no later than 15 
    months from the date of the first entry summary filed under that 
    reconciliation.
        A reconciliation permits the liquidation of an entry summary/
    summaries despite the fact that undetermined information will be 
    transmitted to Customs at a later time through the reconciliation 
    process. Assuming there are no other outstanding issues, the entry 
    summaries will be liquidated for all purposes other than that which is 
    identified by the importer as pending reconciliation. The 
    reconciliation will be liquidated in accordance with 19 U.S.C. 1500. 
    The liquidation of the reconciliation may be protested, in accordance 
    with 19 U.S.C. 1514, but the protest may only pertain to issues covered 
    by the liquidated reconciliation.
        A draft notice was published requesting comments from interested 
    parties on July 5, 1995. We received ten comments and the following is 
    Customs analysis and response to those comments.
    
    Discussion of Comments
    
    Bond Requirement
    
        Comment: The commenter, a surety company, states that language 
    should be added to clearly define the bond requirements for the 
    reconciliation entry.
        Customs Response: All entries which are pending reconciliation must 
    be secured by a continuous bond. Customs will allow only one surety for 
    all entries under the reconciliation. If a participant changes sureties 
    during the reconciliation period, Customs must be notified before the 
    change is actually made. No additional entries will be added to the 
    first reconciliation, and a new reconciliation entry will be initiated. 
    In this situation, Customs will issue a separate reconciliation entry 
    number for the future entries to be filed during the remainder of the 
    reconciliation period. Both reconciliation summaries will be due at the 
    close of the reconciliation period.
        A separate bond will not be required for the reconciliation entry. 
    The continuous bond on the subject entries will provide coverage for 
    the 
    
    [[Page 46143]]
    reconciliation entry. The Basic Importation and Entry Bond Conditions 
    under 19 CFR 113.62 provide for an agreement of the principal and 
    surety to pay, as demanded by Customs, all additional duties, taxes, 
    and charges subsequently found due, legally fixed, and imposed on any 
    entry secured by the bond. The bond conditions as prescribed by 
    regulation also provide for agreement by the principal to file within 
    the time and in the manner prescribed by law and regulation, 
    documentation to enable Customs to properly assess duties on the 
    merchandise, collect accurate statistics with respect to the 
    merchandise, and determine whether applicable law and regulation are 
    met.
    
    Bond Sufficiency
    
        Comment: The commenter, a surety company, is concerned that a 
    continuous bond may not adequately cover the amount due on the 
    reconciliation entry.
        Customs Response: For purposes of this test, Customs believes the 
    continuous bond for the entry summaries will adequately cover the 
    amount due on the reconciliation entry. Customs will monitor each 
    reconciliation individually and should additional coverage be deemed 
    necessary, it will be requested. Customs is conducting research into 
    bond sufficiency from the standpoint of the Chief Financial Officers 
    Act, with respect to all programs under the Mod Act.
    
    Notice to Sureties
    
        Comment: The commenter, a surety company, states that Customs must 
    notify the surety bonding the entries subject to reconciliation that 
    the importer is using reconciliation. Accordingly, the commenter 
    suggests that Customs advises the surety, electronically if possible, 
    as to which entries are subject to reconciliation as well as the 
    specific issue pending reconciliation.
        Customs Response: Upon acceptance into this reconciliation 
    prototype, Customs will issue a confirmation letter to the participant. 
    This letter will provide the reconciliation entry number which is to be 
    utilized. In this document, Customs will also confirm that all entries 
    filed on behalf of the applicant, within the designated time frame, 
    meeting the scope as defined by the applicant, will be subject to 
    reconciliation of the entered value pending upward adjustments in 
    accordance with 26 U.S.C. 482. A courtesy copy of this confirmation 
    letter will be sent to the surety company, which is designated in the 
    application. This will serve as the notice to the surety that all 
    entries filed within the designated time frame, meeting the scope as 
    defined by the applicant, will be subject to reconciliation of the 
    entered value. The value element on the subject entries will be 
    liquidated on the reconciliation entry.
    
    Identification of Reconciliation
    
        Comment: The commenter, a surety company, asks how Customs will 
    identify such reconciliation.
        Customs Response: Each reconciliation will be identified by a 
    separate entry number issued by Customs.
    
    Scope of Reconciliation
    
        Comment: The commenter, a surety company, is concerned that Customs 
    will be withholding liquidation pending reconciliation of the valuation 
    on all entries filed by the applicant, when in fact, not all 
    merchandise on those entries may be subject to the possible upward 
    adjustment.
        Customs Response: For the purposes of this reconciliation 
    prototype, the importer is required to provide, in the application, the 
    scope of the reconciliation. The scope will be defined in the 
    application to include the importer, filer, surety, merchandise (by 
    Harmonized Tariff Schedule number) which will be subject to the 
    reconciliation, and reconciliation time frame (October 1, 1995 through 
    March 31, 1996, or the end of their tax year, whichever comes first). 
    During the reconciliation period, the entered value, with respect to 
    upward 482 adjustments, on the entries meeting the designated scope 
    criteria will be held open pending the reconciliation.
    Liquidation
    
        Comment: The commenter, a surety company, requests information 
    regarding the liquidation of the reconciliation.
        Customs Response: The reconciliation is an entry, identified by 
    entry type 09. The reconciliation will permit the liquidation of the 
    entries despite the fact that the undetermined value information will 
    be provided to Customs at a later time. Upon liquidation of the 
    entries, any Customs decision entering into that liquidation, e.g., 
    classification, may be protested pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1514. When the 
    value information is provided in the reconciliation, the reconciliation 
    will be treated as an entry and liquidated. The liquidation of the 
    reconciliation may also be protested but the protest may only pertain 
    to elements contained in the liquidated reconciliation, i.e., the 
    protest may not re-visit elements previously liquidated in the entries.
        Customs will take action to liquidate all reconciliation entries 
    filed pursuant to this prototype, and extend the liquidation if 
    necessary. Should the reconciliation NOT be filed, the importer will be 
    subject to liquidated damages as the terms of the bond have been 
    breached. In such a case, Customs will analyze the individual situation 
    and liquidate the reconciliation appropriately.
    
    Possible Abuse of Reconciliation
    
        Comment: The commenter, a surety company, states that Customs 
    should limit the number of reconciliations an importer can use, so as 
    to avoid separate reconciliations for each issue for each entry.
        Customs Response: For the purposes of this test, the only element 
    open for reconciliation is valuation, specifically an adjustment to the 
    price made to comply with 26 U.S.C. 482. Customs will be able to 
    adequately monitor the amount of reconciliations requested through the 
    application process. The intent of the reconciliation is to link all 
    entries with common, undetermined value information to one 
    reconciliation entry.
    
    Expansion to Include Downward Adjustments
    
        Comment: The test should be expanded to include both upward and 
    downward adjustments.
        Customs Response: This test is designed to address a specific issue 
    identified by the Internal Revenue Service. That is, if an importer 
    must make an upward adjustment to its transfer price in order to comply 
    with 26 U.S.C. 482, section 1059A acts as a bar to such adjustment if 
    the lower price was declared to Customs. The section 1059A bar does not 
    apply to situations in which the importer contemplates making a 
    downward adjustment to the price. Given the restricted scope of the 
    test, Customs has concluded that the test will continue to be limited 
    to importers that contemplate making an upward adjustment to their 
    transfer prices to comply with 26 U.S.C. 482. However, Customs is 
    analyzing whether downward adjustments to prices can and should be 
    addressed in future reconciliation tests.
    Bases of Appraisement
    
        Comment: There is no reason why section 1401a(a)(I)(f) must be the 
    applicable basis of appraisement in the proposed test.
        Customs Response: As was stated in the initial notice, Customs 
    considers the 
    
    [[Page 46144]]
    fact that the related party importer has reason to believe that an 
    upward adjustment may be made to the price of the imported merchandise 
    as evidence that the relationship may have affected the price actually 
    paid or payable for the merchandise. Therefore, transaction value will 
    not be considered to be the proper basis of appraisement. The importer 
    continues to have the right to have the hierarchy of appraisement 
    applied to its transactions. However, if the importer claims another 
    basis of appraisement, such as deductive value, then the importer will 
    not be able to participate in the proposed test. This is due to the 
    fact that the test is designed to determine how Customs can use the 
    prices that the importer paid to the seller and the upward adjustments 
    to those prices by using reconciliation. If a basis of appraisement is 
    used that does not use these adjusted prices then the information is 
    meaningless, for purposes of this test. Appraisement under section 
    402(f) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Trade Agreements 
    Act of 1979 allows Customs to utilize the importer's information on the 
    price it paid, and to reasonably appraise the merchandise using that 
    information.
    
    Providing Customs With IRS Form 5472
    
        Comment: One commenter responded with a suggestion that the 
    Internal Revenue Service routinely provide the U.S. Customs Service 
    with the IRS Form 5472 which requests information on import 
    transactions and the related party status of the exporter/importer. The 
    information on the Form 5472 would identify differences between the 
    basis or inventory costs of imported goods as carried for IRS purposes 
    and the Customs value of the imported goods. If such differences did 
    exist, IRS Form 5472 requires an explanation for such differences and 
    if supporting documentation exists in the United States.
        Customs Response: Under existing IRS confidentiality statutes, the 
    routine transfer of IRS information to the U.S. Customs Service is 
    prohibited. Only in cases where the Customs Service has a Customs 
    Regulatory Audit planned or in progress, can Customs request certain 
    specific information from the IRS and only in cases when the importer 
    has refused to provide the information voluntarily. The existing 
    provisions for these transfers are contained in Public Law 103-182 
    passed December 8, 1993.
    
    Description of Test
    
        This test will be limited to participants who meet the eligibility 
    criteria set forth below. It will cover entry summaries filed by those 
    participants from October 1, 1995 to March 31, 1996 or the end of the 
    participant's tax year, whichever comes first. Each reconciliation is 
    limited to one importer/filer/surety combination.
        By statute, reconciliation must be filed within 15 months of the 
    entry summary. The reconciliation entry (i.e. the intent to file the 
    reconciliation) is considered filed when the application is submitted 
    to Customs. For purposes of this test, participants must file the 
    reconciliation summary, which provides the outstanding value 
    information, within 15 months of the filing of the first affected entry 
    summary or by December 31, 1996, whichever comes first. All 
    reconciliation entries will be filed to the attention of Matthew 
    Krimski, Office of Regulatory Audit, Office of Strategic Trade, U.S. 
    Customs Service, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20229. 
    Customs will advise participants where additional duties resulting from 
    the reconciliation are to be tendered.
        All entries which are pending reconciliation must be secured by a 
    continuous bond. Customs will allow only one surety for all entries 
    under the reconciliation. If a participant changes sureties during the 
    reconciliation period, Customs must be notified before the change 
    actually is made. No additional entries will be added to the first 
    reconciliation, and a new reconciliation entry will be initiated. In 
    this situation, Customs will issue a separate reconciliation entry 
    number for the future entries to be filed during the remainder of the 
    reconciliation period. Both reconciliation summaries will be due at the 
    close of the reconciliation period.
        The continuous bond on the subject entries will provide coverage 
    for the reconciliation entry. The Basic Importation and Entry Bond 
    Conditions under 19 CFR 113.2 provide for an agreement of the principal 
    and surety to pay as demanded by Customs all additional duties, taxes, 
    and charges subsequently found due, legally fixed and imposed on any 
    entry secured by the bond. The bond conditions as prescribed by 
    regulation also provide for agreement by the principal to file within 
    the time and in the manner prescribed by law and regulation, 
    documentation to enable Customs to properly assess duties on the 
    merchandise, collect accurate statistics with respect to the 
    merchandise and determine whether applicable law and regulation are 
    met.
        The reconciliation is an entry identified by entry type 09. The 
    reconciliation will permit the liquidation of the entries despite the 
    fact that the undetermined value information will be provided to 
    Customs at a later time. Upon liquidation of the entries, any Customs 
    decision entering into liquidation e.g. classification, may be 
    protested pursuant to 19 U.S.C. 1514. When the value information is 
    provided in the reconciliation, the reconciliation will be treated as 
    an entry and liquidated. The liquidation of the reconciliation also may 
    be protested, but the protest may only pertain to elements contained in 
    the liquidated reconciliation, i.e. the protest may not re-visit 
    elements previously liquidated in the entry.
    
         Note: In those cases in which the Harmonized Tariff Schedule 
    (HTS) classification is determined by the unit value, the 
    classification for those commodities also will be held open pending 
    the reconciliation.
    
        Customs will take action to liquidate all reconciliation entries 
    filed pursuant to this prototype and extend the liquidation if 
    necessary. Should the reconciliation not be filed, the importer will be 
    subject to liquidation damages as the terms of the bond have been 
    breached. In such cases, Customs will analyze the individual situation 
    and liquidate the reconciliation appropriately.
    
    Application
    
        Applications will be submitted to Mr. William F. Inch, Director, 
    Office of Regulatory Audit, United States Customs Service, 1301 
    Constitution Ave. NW., Room 2311, Washington, DC 20229-0001. All 
    applicants will be notified in writing of approval or disapproval 
    regarding test participation. All applicants who meet the eligibility 
    criteria will be chosen to participate in this test. The application 
    must address the ability to meet the eligibility requirements. The 
    applicant must consent, in the application, to all the conditions set 
    forth in the description of this test and eligibility criteria. The 
    applicant must set forth in the application the date on which the 
    applicant's tax year ends. The following information must be included 
    in the application:
        1. Importer and IR number;
        2. Filer;
        3. Surety;
        4. Reconciliation Time frame (October 1, 1995 through end of tax 
    year or March 31, 1996, whichever comes first;
        5. Merchandise, by Harmonized Tariff Schedule number, impacted by 
    the possible 482 adjustment;
        6. Countries of origin of impacted merchandise; and
        7. Ports of entry through which the subject merchandise will be 
    imported during the reconciliation period. 
    
    [[Page 46145]]
    
        By applying, applicants agree that the value for merchandise 
    covered by all entry summaries filed by them or on their behalf on or 
    after October 1, 1995 until the end of the tax year or March 31, 1996, 
    whichever comes first, shall be finally determined by the liquidation 
    of the reconciliation filed in accordance with the test. The Office of 
    Regulatory Audit will review the application to determine that the 
    applicant has met all eligibility requirements.
    
    Documentation Required to Support Reconciliation
    
        The approved participant shall maintain and produce upon Customs 
    request all relevant documentation to support the change in the entered 
    value. The reconciliation shall include the following information:
        1. The entry numbers and entry dates, total entered value and ports 
    of entry of all entries filed with Customs falling within the scope of 
    the test.
        2. Broken down by entry number, a cumulative list of units imported 
    by classification number and the change (final entered value) to that 
    entered value.
        3. Proposed duty due pursuant to reconciliation.
        In order to support the reconciliation, the approved applicant 
    shall maintain and produce upon Customs request all relevant 
    documentation to support the change in entered value. The approved 
    applicant may be required to provide any or all of the following 
    documentation:
        1. The IRS Schedule M-1, and the Form 1120 Corporate Tax Return.
        2. Any and all other supporting documentation filed along with the 
    M-1 and the Form 1120 that was furnished to the IRS.
        3. Any or all IRS documents or communications with the participant 
    regarding the relevant 482 adjustment.
        4. Any and all documentation including any books and records or 
    computerized data to relate the 482 adjustment to the entries filed 
    with Customs.
        Such information and supporting material should be provided in a 
    format or electronic media commonly in use. Examples are an IBM 
    compatible computer 3.5 disk utilizing a software product such as 
    Access or Excel or other similar spreadsheet or database application 
    such as Lotus 1, 2, 3.
    
    Verification
        Customs Regulatory Audit, in conjunction with other Customs 
    disciplines, will determine if any verification effort is necessary to 
    establish the accuracy of the details submitted. The extent of the 
    verification will be determined by Regulatory Audit, and if an audit is 
    required, established Regulatory Audit procedures will be followed.
    
    Eligibility Criteria
    
        In order to qualify for this test of reconciliation, importers must 
    have reason to believe they may invoke the IRS regulations to make 
    upward adjustments to the price of the imported merchandise. Importers 
    must provide, on an entry-by-entry basis, the electronic entry of 
    merchandise and the electronic entry summary of required information 
    (ABI). Other requirements and conditions are as follows:
        1. The test only applies to the related party transactions engaged 
    in by participants who qualify under Internal Revenue Service Section 
    482 requirements to make upward adjustments and which are not subject 
    to Antidumping/Countervailing Duty proceedings.
        2. Participants' tax year must end between October 31, 1995 and 
    March 31, 1996.
        3. Customs decision to allow a company to participate in the test 
    program will be made in consultation with the Internal Revenue Service.
        4. Each participant must provide U.S. Customs with the methodology 
    that will be used to arrive at the final price of the imported 
    merchandise.
        5. Each participant agrees that appraisement is under section 
    402(f) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by the Trade Agreements 
    Act of 1979, if, in fact, an upward section 482 adjustment is made for 
    tax purposes.
        6. Entries involving merchandise under this test will not be 
    eligible for drawback.
    
    Selectivity Criteria
    
        The Office of Regulatory Audit, in conjunction with other Customs 
    disciplines, will review the application to ensure the eligibility 
    requirements are met. All applicants who meet the eligibility criteria 
    will be allowed to participate, provided no other Customs office 
    objects.
    
    Objectives of the Test
    
        The objectives of this test are:
        1. To work with the trade community to further compliance in the 
    value area regarding related party transactions.
        2. To allow companies intending to make Internal Revenue Service 
    Section 482 adjustments, which may ultimately result in an upward 
    adjustment to the price for merchandise, the opportunity to reconcile 
    their business operations regarding U.S. Customs and Internal Revenue 
    Service requirements applicable to related party transactions.
        3. To determine if reconciliation is a viable method to ensure a 
    coordinated and consistent Customs response to Internal Revenue Section 
    482 adjustments which result in the upward adjustment of the Customs 
    valuation under Section 1059A.
        5. To test the type of information needed by Customs to process a 
    reconciliation.
    
    Test Evaluation Criteria
    
        The criteria which will be used to evaluate whether or not 
    reconciliation is a viable means to allow importers which make upward 
    adjustments to the price of imported merchandise will be based on 
    measurable outcomes which include:
        1. The number of participants;
        2. Customs resources expended to administer and monitor the 
    program;
        3. Customs resources expended to verify final reconciliation entry 
    claims and the methodologies applied;
        4. Amount of additional revenue collected;
        5. Survey of participants on the conduct of the test and its effect 
    on their business operations; and
        6. IRS and Census satisfaction with the results of the test.
    
        Dated: August 30, 1995.
    Edward F. Kwas,
    Assistant Commissioner, Office of Strategic Trade.
    [FR Doc. 95-21909 Filed 9-1-95; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 4820-02-P
    
    

Document Information

Published:
09/05/1995
Department:
Treasury Department
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Final notice.
Document Number:
95-21909
Dates:
The test will commence no earlier than October 1, 1995, and will run until December 31, 1996. To participate in this reconciliation test, the application must be filed and approved by Customs on or before October 1, 1995.
Pages:
46141-46145 (5 pages)
PDF File:
95-21909.pdf