Renault Australia Pty Ltd v The Chief Inspector, Valuation Administration, Bureau of Customs

Case

[1977] FCA 69

8 Sep 1977

No judgment structure available for this case.

ADL1INISTRATIVE

APPEALS

TRIBONAI,

No. 77/104

Re:

RENATJLT (AUSTRALIA)

PTY. LTD.

And:

THE CHIEF INSPECTOR,

VALUATION

N ) M I N I ~ T I O X ,

-

BUREAU O F CUSTOXS.

DECISION

The Tr ibuna l dec ldes

t o

r e v i e w t h e

demand

made

b y t h e

Collector f o r t h e payment of

customs duty amounting

I

to

$38 ,920 .57

which

R e n a u l t

(Wholesa l e ) P ty . L td .

pa id

I '

u n d e r p r o t e s t a n d w h i c h

was

p a l d i n r e s p e c t

of

c e r t a i n

I

C .K.D.

cars r e f e r r e d t o

i n warrant number

007161 and

d e t e r m l n e s

t h a t

t h e p r o p e r d u t y p a y a b l e

i n

r e s p e c t

of

t h o s e goods

is $38,669.75.

D a t e d

e i g h t h

t h i s

d a y

of September

1977

, ,

/

'

2

Member

,

Member

i

!

2.

REASONS

FOR

THE DECISION

The

ques t lon which

fa l l s

f o r t h e T r i b u n a l ' s

de t e rmina t ion

is

t h e v a l u e f o r d u t y o f

a

shipment of Renaul t

motor vehic les which

were

e n t e r e d f o r

home

consumption

on

26

A p r i l

1977

by Renaul t Wholesa le P ty . L td . ,

a

company

which

is

t h e s o l e c o n c e s s i o n a i r e i n

Aus t ra l ia

for

a l l

Renault

mo to r veh ic l e s expor t ed

t o

t h i s c o u n t r y b y t h e

French manufac turers ,

Regie

N a t i o n a l e d e s

U s i n e s

Renaul t .

We

s h a l l refer t o t h e

first of

these compzn ies a s

t he

Vholesale

company,

and

t o

t h e

s e c o n d

as

Renault

France.

The

Wholesale

company

is

a l s o t h e

sole

c o n c e s s i o n a i r e f o r

Peugeot vehlcles exported by Peugeot Automobile ,

a

French

c o r p o r a t i o n a s s o c i a t e d w i t h R e n a u l t F r a n c e .

Renaul t France

is

a

large

corpora t ion which

h a s

a t

l eas t

two

A u s t r a l i a n s u b s i d i a r i e s o r s u b - s u b s i d i a r i e s ,

namely

the Wholesa l e

company

and Renaul t

Aus t ra l ia

P t y . L t d .

( t o which

we

s h a l l refer

as

R e n a u l t A u s t r a l i a ) . R e n a u l t

France

makes

the wel

l

-known motor

vehicles

and motor

vehicle

par ts which bear

i ts name

and which

are s o l d i n many

c o u n t r i e s .

R e n a u l t

v e h i c l e s

a r e

advertised

f o r sa le

a n d

s o l d

t h r o u g h o u t A u s t r a l i a u n d e r t h e b r a n d

name

or

f o r e i g n t r a d e

mark

"Renault".

They

are

i m p o r t e d

i n

a "comgletely

lrnocked

down"

or

d i sa s sembled

cond i t ion .

These

veh ic l e s

are

known

as C.K.D.

v e h i c l e s ,

a

term which d is t inguishes

them f

rom

C.B.U. ,

o r

" c o m p l e t e l y

b u i l t

up"

v e h i c l e s .

The

Wholesale

company

u s u a l l y acts as the

impor t e r ,

t hough

Renault

A u s t r a l i a

s o m e t i m e s

i m p o r t s

t h e

v e h i c l e s .

After

i m p o r t ,

t h e

,. r..

-

--L:.:.-

I !

r'

8 '.L-

C.K.D.

v e h i c l e s are

assembled,

using

soae

components

of

Aust ra l ian

manufac

ture

.

The

compara t ive

va lue

of

t h e

and domestic components

is ag reed between t h e

app l i can t

and

r e sponden t .

Af t e r

a s sembly ,

t he

veh ic l e s

I

. . . /3.

3.

are

d i s t r i b u t e d t o d e a l e r s who

se l l t h e m by

r e t a i l

t o t h e

p u b l i c .

Some

d e a l e r o u t l e t s

are owned b y

t h e

R e n a u l t

o r g a n i z a t i o n ,

others

are

n o t .

A n

e x t e n s i v e

a d v e r t i s i ~ ~ g

dud.

promot ion campa ign keeps the Renau l t b rand and the cu r ren t

models

of

Renaul t

v e h i c l e s b e f o r e t h e p u b l i c , a n d

i t

is

common

g round tha t adve r t l s ing and p romot ion (wh ich

we

aggregate

as

" a d v e r t i s i n g " )

is

e s s e n t i a l t o

t h e w i n n i n g

a n d r e t e n t i o n m a r k e t f o r t h e

of

a

s h a r e of

t h e A u s x r a l i a n

market.

The

var ious b rands

of

new

cars

is

marked by

in t ense compe t i t i on , and by ex tens ive adve r t i s ing wh ich

commends

e i t h e r t h e b r a n d

or brand and model

of

new

motor

v e h i c l e s .

The

c o s t of

Australian

a d v e r t i s i n g i s borne

€ o r

t h e m o s t p a r t b y R e n a u l t A u s t r a l i a .

We

have

no

evidence

as t o why a d v e r t l s e s t h e v e h i c l e s i m p o r t e d ,

the Wholesa l e

company

imports and Xenaul t

A u s t r a l i a

but

i n our

view

t h e

d i f f e r e n c e

i n f u n c t i o n

is

not

important .

Each

company

is

part

o f

t h e R e n a u l t c h a l n o f d i s t r i b u t i o n a n d

w e

s h a l l

refer

t o t h e m c o l l e c t i v e l y

as

t h e A u s t r a l i a n S u b s i d i a r i e s .

A

c o n t r i b u t i o n is

made

by

d e a l e r s t o a

f u n d f o r

" c o - o p e r a t i v e a d v e r t i s i n g " w h i c h a d v e r t i s e s t h e b r a n d a n d

cur ren t models and

also

t h e l o c a t i o n o f t h e d e a l e r s '

premises .

On

o c c a s i o n s ,

d e a l e r s

a t

t h e i r own

expense

pub l i sh adve r t i s emen t s wh ich desc r ibe Renau l t veh ic l e s and

which

s e t

out

p a r t i c u l a r s

o f

t h e i r

d e a l e r s h i p s . R e n a u l t

France makes

no

f i n a n c i a l c o n t r i b u t i o n t o a d v e r t l s i n g

expend i tu re .

A d v e r t i s i n g i n A u s t r a l i a

is

t h e r e f o r e p a i d

for

by

, ,,~

t h e

A u s t r a l i a n

s u b s i d i a r i e s a n d

by

local

d e a l e r s o f R e n a u l t

v e h i c l e s .

I t is t h e

t o t a l i t y

of

t h i s a d v e r t i s i n g

w h i c h

creates

and he lps

t o

s u s t a i n

a

favourable marke t sen t iment and

. . .

/4.

4.

thereby

assists

i n s e l l i n g of

Renau l t

veh ic l e s .

The

cost

o f a d v e r t i s i n g

is

b o r n e b y t h e c o m p a n i e s i n t h e c h a i n

of

d i s t r i b u t i o n a n d

is

set

off

a g a i n s t

t h e r e v e n u e e a r n e d

i n

t h e

s e l l i n g

o f v e h i c l e s . T h e p r o f i t s

c;f

t h e A u s t r a l i a n

s u b s i d i a r i e s

are

a f f e c t e d b y t h e i r e x p e n d i t u r e

on

a d v e r t i s i n g ;

l i k e w i s e

i n

t h e

case

o f

t h e

d e a l e r s .

A l t h o u g h t h e c o s t o f a d v e r t i s i n g

is

r e f l e c t e d

i n

t h e p r i c e w h i c h t h e p u b l i c p a y s

€or

t h e

cars

which

they

b u y , a d v e r t i s i n g

is

no doubt

thought

to

increase

t h e

number

of

v e h i c l e s s o l d a n d t o s u p p o r t t h e p r i c e s c h a r g e d .

If

a d v e r t i s i n g effects

an

i n c r e a s e

i n sales,

i t

f ac i l i t a t e s

t h e a l l o c a t i o n

of

f i x e d costs over a

l a r g e r number

of

veh ic l e s and

may

p e r m i t r e s u l t a n t d i m i n u t i o n

i n u n i t

costs

t o

b e r e f l e c t e d i n

t h e

p r ice

c h a r g e d f o r e a c h v e h i c l e .

Whatever

be

the economics

of

a d v e r t i s i n g

expend i tu re ,

however ,

t he

f ac t

is

t h a t

t h e e x p e r i e n c e d

management

of

t h e R e n a u l t c h a i n o f d i s t r i b u t i o n f i n d s

i t

d e s i r a b l e t o e x p e n d s u b s t a n t i a l a m o u n t s

on

a d v e r t i s i n g

i n

Australia.

The

A u s t r a l i a n

s u b s i d i a r i e s

a n d

t h e

local

d e a l e r s n o d o u b t c o n c e i v e t h e e x p e n d i t u r e t o

be

j u s t i f i e d

because

they

make

t h e J u d g m e n t t h a t a d v e r t i s i n g i n c r e a s e s

t h e i r g r o s s p r o f i t s .

I t may

be

i n f e r r e d

t h a t

t h e c o s t o f

a d v e r t i s i n g

is

r e c o u p e d b y s e l l i n g

new

R e n a u l t v e h i c l e s ,

I

a n d t h a t t h e a d v e r t i s i n g

cost

i n c u r r e d b y t h e A u s t r a l i a n

I

s u b s i d i a r i e s

is

recouped

i n t h e p r i c e s c h a r g e d f o r v e h i c l e s

bought

from

them.

I t may

also b e i n f e r r e d t h a t t h e

...I

I

a d v e r t i s i n g

c o s t

i n c u r r e d

b y

d e a l e r s

is

r e c o u p e d

i n

t h e

prices

c h a r g e d b y t h e m f o r t h e v e h i c l e s b o u g h t b y t h e p u b l i c

I t

may

b e f u r t h e r i n f e r r e d t h a t , a s

sa les

t a k e p l a c e , t h e

prices charged are a s o u n d i n d i c a t i o n

of

t h e value of

t h e

v e h i c l e s

s o l d .

A u s t r a l i a n

a d v e r t i s i n g

b e n e f i t s

Renaul t

1

.

.

. j 5 .

. c

5 .

: j ' .

. .

1

France not mere ly by adding

t o

o r m a i n t a i n i n g

its

s u b s i d i a r i e s ' p r o f i t s b u t

b y j n c r e a s i n g o r m a i n t a i n i n g t h e

t u r n o v e r

of

Renaul t

F r a n c e ' s

e x p o r t i n g

b u s i n e s s .

R e n a u l t

F r a n c e d e r i v e s

a

b e n e f i t , a n d

its

s u b s i d i a r i e s p a y t h e c o s t .

I n

a d d i t i o n t o t h e c o n t r o l w h i c h R e n a u l t F r a n c e

may exercise over

the

I ' iholesale

company's

a c t i v i t i e s ,

Renaulz

France

e n t e r e d i n t o

a

c o n t r a c t with

the Wholesa l e

company

gove rn ing the r e l a t ionsh ip be tween them

as

e x p o r t e r a n d

impor t e r of

motor

vehic

les

.

The

TYholesale

company

is the reby

g r a n t e d t h e e x c l u s i v e r l g h t

t o

sell

R e n a u l t v e h i c l e s i n

Australia

a n d t h e u s e o f t h e R e n a u l t t r a d e

mark

f o r t h a t

purpose .

Renaul

t

France

is

g i v e n

t h e

b e n e f i t

o f

a

number

o f con t r ac tua l unde r t ak ings by the Wholesa l e company ,

i n c l u d i n g u n d e r t a k i n g s w i t h r e s p e c t t o

after-sales

warranties

a n d

a d v e r t i s i n g .

A

t r a n s l a t i o n

o

f

t h e

A d v e r t i s i n g

Clause

( c l . XV)

r e a d s :

I t

The Importer and

RENAULT

c o n s i d e r t h a t e x t e n s i v e

a n d w e l l - e x e c u t e d a d v e r t i s i n g

i s

e s s e n t i a l n o t o n l y

t o

t h e r e a l i s a t i o n o f

optimum

sales

f i g u r e s ,

b u t

a l s o

t o t h e

successful enhancement

of

t h e D u b l i c

image

-~

b o t h

of RENAULT as a whole

and

of

t h e l o c a i r e p r e s e n t a t i o n

of RENAULT.

RENAULT

w i l l

s u p p l y t h e I m p o r t e r w i t h t h e

necessary

a d v e r t i s i n g a n d

sales promotion

material.

The

Impor t e r unde r t akes

to

supp ly

RENAULT,

a t t h e

beg inn ing o f

t he commerc ia l yea r , w i th

a

d e t a l l e d

e s t i m a t e ,

c o m p l e t e

with

e x p l a n a t o r y n o t e s , o f h i s

a d v e r t i s i n g e x p e n d i t u r e .

Fur thermore ,

t h e Importer

and

RENAIiLT agree t h a t

a

cer ta in

u n i t y

of

s t y l e

i n t h e c r e a t i o n a n d

p r e s e n t a t l o n o f

a d v e r t i s i n g

i n

its

var ious

forms

is

e s s e n t i a l

t o

e n s u r e t h e m o s t e t f e c t i v e i m p a c t

of

such

adve r t i s ing

th roughou t

t he wor ld , each pa r ty d rawing

bene f i t

f r o m t h e c o m b i n e d e f f o r t s o f t h e

RENAULT

network T h e r e l a t i o n s h i p , b o t h c o r p o r a t e a n d c o n t r a c t u a l ,

i n a l l parts of

the wor ld ."

between

Renau1.t

France and

t h e Aus t ra l ian s u b s i d i a r i e s

p e r m l t s ,

i n

t h e

commercial

i n t e r e s t s o f

t h e g r o u p ,

the

ar rangement and co-ord ina t ion of

the bus iness of expor t jng ,

. . . /6 .

! . .

' .

6.

1

.

i m p o r t i n g ,

a s s e m b l i n g ,

d i s t r i b u t i n g ,

a d v e r t i s i n g

a n d ,

n

some

cases,

r e t a i l s e l l i n g o f

Renau

l

t

veh ic l e s .

The

g r o u p ' s

arrangements

cast

t h e c o s t s

of

a d v e r t i s i n g upon Renault

Austral ia .

These

cos

ts

might

have

been

cast

upon

t h e

Wholesale company o r upon

any

o t h e r A u s t r a l i a n s u b s i d i a r y

of Renaul t

France

or,

f o r

t h a t

matter,

upon Renault France.

I t

d o e s n o t

matter

f o r t h e p u r p o s e s

of

de te rmining;

the

' !

value

-for

duty

of

t h e i m p o r t e d v e h i c l e s , w h e t h e r t h e c o s t

o f a d v e r t i s i n g

was

borne by one

o r o t h e r s u b s i d i a r y

-

what

1s

r e l e v a n t

is

t h a t t h e

cost

of

a d v e r t i s i n g R e n a u l t v e h i c l e s

u n d e r t h e R e n a u l t t r a d e

mark

was

borne

i n

A u s t r a l i a b y

someone by arrangement

with

R e n a u l t France and

was not borne

by

R e n a u l t

France.

The

r e l e v a n c e

of

t h a t fact

t o

t h e v a l u e

f o r d u t y a p p e a r s f r o m

a

c o n s i d e r a t i o n o f t h e s t a t u t o r y

hypothes is which

must

b e a d o p t e d i n o r d e r t o d e t e r m i n e

t h e

v a l u e f o r d u t y .

The

d e t e r m i n a t i o n o f

t h e v a l u e

f o r d u t y

is

governed b y

t h e p r o v i s i o n s

of

S. 154 of

t h e Customs A c t 1901.

a

i

I I

T h a t s e c t i o n

was

inse r t ed by the Cus toms

Amendment

Act

1976

and came

i n t o o p e r a t i o n

on

l Ju ly

1976

,

Subs .154(2 )

r eads

' l

as

f o l l o w s :

I!

( 2 )

S u b j e c t

t o

s u b - s e c t i o n

(3),

t h e

v a l u e

o f a n y

i m p o r t e d g o o d s s h a l l ,

f o r

t h e p u r p o s e s o f

t h e Customs

Ta r i f f

Act

1966-1976 (except

in

a case

where

t h i s Act

or

t h a t

Act

p r o v i d e s o t h e r w i s e ) b e

t h e

amount

a s c e r t a i n e d

i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h

t h e

Convention

D e f i n i t i o n

of Value."

I

Ccnv

The

Defini t ion

nt ion

f

Value

is s e t o u t i n

l

Schedule V I I ,

wh ich

cons i s t s

of

two

P a r t s . P a r t

I

is t h e

,

..v. .

I

-'.

-- -.. . .

,c

+c

I L

'

I

E n g l i s h t e x t

of

Annex

I

- Def in i t i on o f Va lue

-

adopted by

I . .

on

t h e V a l u a t i o n

of

Goods

f o r Customs

s i g n e d

a t

Brusse ls

on

15 December 1950;

and

Dart I1

t e x t o f

Annex

I1

-

I n t e r p r e t a t i v e N o t e s t o

t h e

D e f i n i t i o n

o

f

V a l u e .

The Convention provisions

('CO

which

. .

. / 7 .

1

7.

we

refer

as

t h e B r u s s e l s D e T l n i t i o n )

were

in t ended

for

adopt

ion

by

the cus toms

laws

of

the s igna to ry powers .

On

i n c o r p o r a t l o n

i n t o

t h e A u s t r a l i a n

Customs

Act,

i ts

a p p l i c a t i o n was

m o d i f i e d b y c e r t a i n

amendments

t o

i t s terms i n c o r p o r a t i o n i n t h e S c h e d u l e o f t h e B r u s s e l s D e f l n i t i o n

e n a c t e d i n s u b s .

154(3),

b u t t h e v e r b a t i m

is

a

clear i n d l c a t i o n of

P a r l i a m e n t ' s i n t e n t i o n t o

enact,

as

t h e b a s i s o f A u s t r a l i a n c u s t o m s v a l u a t i o n

law,

t h e p r l n c i p l e s

which

were

commonly

accep ted by the s igna to ry powers .

Article

I(1)

o f t h e

B r u s s e l s

D e f i n i t i o n p r o v i d e s :

I t

(1) For

t he

pu rposes

o f

l evy ing

ad

va lo rem

d u t i e s o f c u s t o m s ,

t h e v a l u e

of

any

goods

imported

f o r home

use

s h a l l b e t a k e n t o b e t h e

normal

p r l c e ,

t h a t

is

t o s a y , t h e p r i c e w h i c h t h e y

mould

f e t c h

a t

t h e time when

the duty becomes payable

on

a

sa le i n

the open marke t

be-cween

a

buyer and

a

se l le r

independent

of

e a c h o t h e r . "

A

nurnber

o f t h e c o n c e p t s i n t h i s

Art ic le

are

e x p a n d e d i n o r a f f e c t e d

b y

s u b s e q u e n t p r o v l s l o n s

of

the

.

B r u s s e l s D e f l n i t l o n b u t s u f f i c i e n t a p p e a r s

i n

t h i s

Artjcle

t o show

t h a t t h e B r u s s e l s D e f i n i t i o n p o s t u l a t e s

a

sale

i n

c i rcumstances which

may

b e q u i t e d i s s i m i l a r f r o m t h e

c i r cums tances

a t t endan t

upon

an

a c t u a l

sale.

I'lhen

goods

are

s o l d b y a n e x p o r t e r t o

an

impor t e r

i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s o r

upon

terms

which do not coincide

w i t h

t he c i r cums tances and

terms

w h i c h t h e B r u s s e l s D e f i n i t i o n

assumes

( A r t i c l e s

I ( 2 ) a n d

111) and

p re - supposes

(Ar t i c l e

I I ( l ) ) , t h e v a r i a t i o n

i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s a n d

terms

may

need

t o b e r e f l e c t e d i n

a

d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e

actual

a n d t h e

. . ./g.

8 .

which

may

b e i m p o r t e d i n c i r c u m s t a n c e s a n d

upon

terms

which

are

a l m o s t

i n P i n i t e l y

v a r l o u s .

I n

a s c e r t d i n i n g

t h e

n o r m a l

pr ice ,

i t

is

t h e r e f o r e n e c e s s a r y t o p o s t u l a t e

a

n o t i o n a l

sale

of

the goods , and

t o

modify

any

ac tua l

sale

o f t h e

goods

t o

t h e i m p o r t e r b y e l i m i n a t i n g

o r

adding c i rcumstaaces

and

terms

s o t h a t t h e r e s u l t i n g n o t i o n a l

sale

is

c o n s i s t e n t

w i th

the a s sumpt ions and p re - suppos i t i ons expres sed

i

n

t h e

B r u s s e l s

D e f i n i t i o n .

T

h

e

n o t i o n a l

sa le

is,

of

c o u r s e ,

a r t i f ic ia l

and

its

a r t i f i c i a l i t y will

a p p e a r t h e

more

s t r i k i n g as

t h e circumstances and

terms

OP

t h e n o t i o n a l

sale vary from t h e circumstances and terms o f t h e

actual

sale .

A l t h o u g h

a r t i f i c i a l i t y

is

i n e v i t a b l e

I f

d i v e r s e

i m p o r t i n g t r a n s a c t i o n s

are

t o b e b r o u g h t t o

a

common

base,

t h e p o s t u l a t e s o f t h e n o t i o n a l

sa le

may

seem

i n

some

cases

t o

b

e

q u i t e

u n r e a l . .

T h i s

is such

a

case.

I t

is

t o be

assumed

t h a t t h e R e n a u l t v e h i c l e s

are

imported by

a buyer who

is

independent of Renaul t France

and

who

b u y s t h e s h i p m e n t " i n t h e

open

marke t " (Ar t i c l e

I ( 1 ) ) .

' T h e

price

which the not iona l buyer would pay

is

"presupposed"

to

be uninf

luenced by "any commercial

,

f i n a n c i a l

or

o t h e r r e l a t i o n s h i p " w i t h R e n a u l t F r a n c e

( A r t i c l e I I ( l ) ( b ) ) , a n d t o b e " t h e

sole

cons ide ra t ion" €o r

t h e p u r c h a s e p r e - s u p p o s i t l o n s w h i c h c h a r a c t e r i z e

( A r t i c l e

I I ( l ) ( a ) ) .

The

assumptions

and

t h e

"open

market"

d i s t i n g u i s h

i t

f rom the

real

t r a d i n g s i t u a t i o n i n

which

t h e

sub jec t

sh ipmen t

was

s o l d .

To

a s c e r t a i n

w h e t h e r

t h e

" o p e n

market" condi t ions would occasion an adjustment

in

t h e p r i c e

a c t u a l l y p a i d ,

i t

is

n e c e s s a r y t o p o s t u l a t e

a

t r a d i n g

s i t u a t i o n w h e r e t h e r e

is

no commerc l21 ,

f inanc ia l

or

o t h e r

r e l a t i o n s h i p

b e t w e e n

t h e

se l le r

and

t he

buye r .

In

such

a

p o s t u l a t e d t r a d i n g s i t u a t i o n , t h e b u y e r d o e s n o t h a v e

t h e

. .

./g.

9.

s o l e c o n c e s s i o n f o r t h e i m p o r t a t i o n a n d

sale

of

Renaul t

' veh ic l e s , and he compe tes wl th o the r s

t o buy

those veh lc l e s

i n " i h e open

marke t "

( o r ,

t o adapt

thc? T r e n c h

t e x t o f

t h e

Conven t ion ,

i n

c i r cums tances

o f

" fu l l

compe t i t i on" ) .

I n

such

a

p o s t u l a t e d t r a d i n g s i t u a t i o n , t h e b u y e r

is

f r e e d

from

any

c o n t i n u i n g o b l i g a t i o n s

t o

R e n a n l t

F rance ( e .g .

as t o i n f l u e n c e

a d v e r t i s i n g

or

a f t e r - s a l e s s e r v i c e ) w h i c h w o u l d

t h e pr ice

o f

t h e

v e h i c l e s .

A l t h o u g h

t h e

n o t i o n a l

buyer

1s

assumed

t o b e e n t i t l e d t o m a r k e t t h e v e h i c l e s

wh

ich

he

buys

unde

r

the Renau l t

t r ade mark (Ar t i c l e I I I ) ,

he

d o e s n o t h a v e a n e x c l u s i v e r i g h t

t o

t h e

use

of

t h e

t r a d e mark

t h e seller (who may

be

assumed

t o b e

Renaul t France)

is

p r e s u p p s s e d t o

s e l l

t h e s u b j e c t v e h i c l e s

on

the open marke t ,

a t

a

p r l ce wh ich does no t

reflect

any

o b l i g a t i o n n o t

t o

s e l l

t o o t h e r s i n t h e m a r k e t o r n o t t o

p e r m i t o t h e r s t o u s e t h e t r a d e

mark.

The

t r a d i n g s i t u a t i o n w h i c h

is

p o s t u l a t e d b y

the Brusse l s Conven t ion

may

be

conceded

t o b e a r t i f i c i a l ,

b u t

t h e p o s t u l a t e s

are

s u f f i c i e n t l y

clear

t o e n a b l e t h e

s t a t u t o r y

v a l u a t i o n

t o

b

e

u n d e r t a k e n .

I f

t h e

n o t i o n a l

buyer were veh ic l e s , he wou ld no t unde r t ake

i n c o m p e t i t l o n w i t h o t h e r i m p o r t e r s o f R e n a u l t

the

same

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y

for ,

a n d i n c u r

t h e

same

costs

o f , a d v e r t i s i n g

as

Renaul t

Austral ia now

does . Adver t i s ing

of t h e same kind

would

no

doubt cont inue , w o u l d n e c e s s a r i l y b e b o r n e b y t h e

or

s u b s t a n t i a l l y c o n t i n u e ,

bu t

i ts

c o s t

8 ,

company

which would benef i t

by

t h e

e x p e n d i t u r e ,

v i z . ,

R e n a u l t

France.

Renaul t

France ,

w i thou t

a n

Aus t r a l i an

subs id i a ry

impor t e r , wou ld unde r t ake

t h e

defence and development

of

t h e A u s t r a l i a n

market

for

Renault

v e h i c l e s , d e r i v i n g s u c h a s s i s t a n c e

as

it

could

f rom

t h e u n r e l a t e d i m p o r t e r s a n d f r o m t h e v a r i o u s d e a l e r s .

!

. . ./IQ.

' I

I

10.

Renaul t France

w o u l d s e e k t o r e c o v e r t h e c o s t o f

its

* a d v e r t i s i n g i n

t h e prJ.ce of

t h e vehicles

s o l d To

t h e

n o t i o n a l

b u y e r .

The

B r u s s e l s

D e f i n i t i o n

wonld

t h e r e f o r e

i n c l u d e i n t h e " n o r m a l p r i c e " o f

each

v e h i c l e

a

p r o p o r t i o n

of t h a t c o s t t r a d i n g s i t u a t i o n , R e n a u l t F r a n c e w o u l d b e a r .

of

a d v e r t i s i n g w h i c h ,

i n

t h e h y p o t h e t i c a l

Th i s conc lus ion acco rds

i n

p r i n c i p l e w i t h t h e

conclus ion which the Cour ts

of

t h e U n i t e d

Kingdom,

France

and Germany

h a v e a r r i v e d

a t

i n a p p l y i n g

laws

which,

it

seems,

are

similar

i n c o n c e p t

t o

S. 154.

In

Rolex Watch Co.

Ltd . v .

-

Commissioner of Customs and

Excise

(1956)

2

A l l E . R .

5 8 9 ,

t h e

i n v o i c e

pr ice

of Rolex matches

imported

into

England by

a

sole c o n c e s s l m a i r e was

u p l l f t e d t o g ive a

"norma l p r i ce" wh ich r e f l ec t ed

t h e

c o s t

of

E n g l i s h

adve r t i s ing .

Denn ing

L . J .

( a s

h

e

t h e n

w a s )

s a i d

( a t

p

.

591) :

"The

i n v o i c e p r i c e ,

i n

s o fa r as

i t reflects

t h e

i n t e r n a t i o n a l a d v e r t i s i n g ,

is

r e f l ec t ing

t h e va lue

of

t h e g o o d s , b u t

t h e

i n v o i c e

price

does no t

i nc lude

t h e

c o s t

o

f

t h e

E n g l i s h

a d v e r t i s i n g .

I

t h i n k

t h a t

i t

o u g h t t o b e

i n c r e a s e d

so

as

t o re f lec t

t h e

c o s t

of

t h e E n g l i s h

a d v e r t i s i n g .

I t

1s

on lg

as

a

r e s u l t

of

t h e E n g l i s h a d v e r t i s i n g , c o u p l e d w i t h

t h e

i n t e r n a t i o n a l a d v e r t i s i n g , t h a t

t h e

Rolex watches

have

the

va

lue

which

they

have

.

Therefore

(as

t h e

referee

h e l d ) , t h e v a l u e

of

the goods shou ld

i n c l u d e t h e a p p r o p r i a t e

sum

t o r e p a y t h e c o s t

of

t h e a d v e r t i s i n g s p e n t i n m a k i n g a n d m a i n t a i n i n g t h e

market . "

I t

was

n o d o u b t r i g h t t o s a y t h a t R o l e x w a t c h e s

o n l y h a d t h e

value

t h a t

t h e y h a d b e c a u s e

of

a d v e r t i s i n g , b u t

the measure

of

u p l i f t was

n o t a r r i v e d

a t by enqu i r ing whe the r

t h e va lue

of each watch

was

enhanced by

a

p a r t i c u l a r p i e c e

of

a d v e r t i s i n g .

The

u p l i f t was

a r r i v e d a t b y

" i n c l u d i n g

t h e

a p p r o p r i e t e

sum

t o

r e p a y t h e c o s t

of

t h e a d v e r t i s i n g s p e n t

making

and

main ta in ing

the

mar l te t" .

The

up l i f t

is

t o

ref lect

t h e a s s u m p t i o n t h a t t h e c o s t

of

I

. .

. I l l .

* ’

11.

a d v e r t i s i n g i n c u r r e d I n m a k i n g a n d m a i n t a i n i n g

a

market

‘ fo r b rand goods

is a cost which would be borne by the

manufac turer of

t h e b r a n d gvvds

and

Lhus reflected

i n the

p u r c h a s e p r i c e p a i d

by

t h e n o t i o n a l b u y e r .

The

r e a s o n i n g

is c l e a r l y e x p r e s s e d b y

the Federal Financ;!

Court

of

the

Republ ic of West

Germany,

i n a Judgment ( re f . No.

V I 1

74/58S)

d e l i v e r e d on 15 October 1959:

I ,

Brand

a d v e r t i s i n g is, because of

its

c o n t e n t s ,

s o s t r o n s l y

€ocused on

an

o b j e c t ,

i . e .

t h e branded

i tem a lone , and

s o impersonal

i n i t s methods,

t h a t it can be done by

any f i r m ,

even one

whlch

is n o t

i n v o l v e d i n

t h e marke t ing

p r o c e s s

of

the

a r t i c l e , and is therefore n o t

part of

the

t r a d i n g side of

it a t a l l , e . g.

a d v e r t i s i n g

a g e n c i e s ,

e tc .

The

e f fec t o f

b r a n d

a d v e r t i s i n g a l w a y s

r e m a i n s

t h e same,

however,

namely

expans ion or main tenance of

the

market

for

the

branded

item

and

t h e r e b y f o r t h e

manufac turer

o r trade-mark

owner.

T h i s is

e v i d e n t ,

f o r e x a m p l e ,

when

a

merchan t

ac t ive

i n

t h e marke t ing

p rocess (o f

a

branded

a r t ic le )

retlres

from

the

d i s t r i b u t i o n

c h a i n .

The

success achieved by

h i s

p r e v i o u s e f f o r t s i n

the

area

o f b r a n d a d v e r t i s i n g , r e m a i n s

as

expansion

o r maintenance of

t h e market

€or

t h e branded

a r t i c l e

a n d t h e r e f o r e

f o r t h e

market of

the

manufac turer

o r

t rade-mark

owner.

The

merchant

has

merely

t a k e n o v e r

t h e marke t ing func t ion

of

the manufac turer o r trade-mark

owner,

and

w i t h o u t

this

there would be

n o p o i n t I n

t h e

l a t t e r

d i s t r i b u t i n g t h e i r

goods

as

branded goods.

I t

1s

obvious

t h a t the

economic equivalent of

c a r r y i n g o u t

these

g u a r a n t e e a n d a d v e r t i s i n g

f u n c t i o n s m u s t b e l o n g t o

t he

normal

price

of

such goods , w i thou t cons ide r ing

whether

t h e

m a n u f a c t u r e r o r

trade-mark

owner

carries

o u t

these

f u n c t i o n s d i r e c t l y himself,

or has

them

c a r r i e d o u t

by

o t h e r s ,

who

t o t h i s e x t e n t t a k e

o v e r

h i s

f u n c t i o n s . I’

The

Court considered and adhered

t o

these

p r i n c i p l e s i n

t h e

fo l lowing year

( Judgment

- ref. No.

V I 1 40/60S d e l l v e r e d

on 19 October

1960).

I t does n o t

f o l l o w ,

of

c o u r s e ,

t ha t t h e sum

ac tua l ly expended on adve r t i s ing by

a

s o l e c o n c e s s i o n a i r e

who

impor ts branded goods furn ishes

w i t h

mathematic

p r e c i s i o n

the

amount which

is

t o be

a l l o c a t e d for u p l i f t i n g

t h e

i n v o i c e p r i c e

t o

t h e n o r m a l p r i c e .

The

facts

of

the

. . -112.

n

12 .

.

a

may, - a d j u s t m e n t f o r r e a s o n s o t h e r

f o r exrvnple,

show

t h a t t h e i n v o i c e p r i c e r e q u i r e s

case

t h a n t h e r e c o u p m e n t o f

a d v e r t l s i n g e x p e n d i t u r e ,

or

therc

may

bc

some

cxpcnd l tu rc

wh ich wou ld no t o rd ina r i ly

be

met

by

a

manufac turer

o r

t r a d e mark

owner.

Or

t h e h y p o t h e t i c a l

t r a t i i n g

s i t u a t i o n

may

r e q u i r e o t h e r a d j u s t m e n t s w h i c h

may

d iminish

or

o f f s e t

t h e u p l i f t

f o r

d o m e s t i c

a d v e r t i s i n g .

In

t h e

R o l e s

Case,

P a r k e r

L. J .

reviewed

a

r e f e r e e ' s a s s e s s m e n t w h i c h a t t r i b u t e d

a

p r o p o r t i o n o n l y

of

t h e a d v e r t i s i n g

expenses

as

p r o p e r € o r

i n c l u s i o n

i n the

normal

pr ice .

He

s a i d

( ( 1 9 5 6 )

2 A l l E .R .

a t p .

594):

I t

To my

mind,

it is n o t i n e v e r y

case

. . . t h a t

a d v e r t l s i n g e x p e n d l t u r e o f t h i s s o r t

will

r e s u l t

i n ?A

u p l i f t ;

still less t h a t it will

r e s u l t i n

a n u p i i f t a r r i v e d

a t by

a

pure ly ma themat i ca l

c a l c u l a t i o n , a p p l y i n g t h e f u l l

amount

o f

t h e

pu rchases .

. . . ~f t he

vendors

t hemse lves

had

borne

t h e

c o s t o f a d v e r t i s i n g

i n

t h i s c o u n t r y ,

t hey wou ld have sough t t o r ecove r

a t

l e a s t t h o s e

costs

i n

t h e p r i c e ,

as

i n d e e d t h e y d i d w i t h t h e i r

i n t e r n a t i o n a l

a d v e r t i s l n g ,

a n d ,

a l t h o u g h

t h e r e

is

no

d i r e c t f i n d i n g o n t h e p o i n t , h a v i n g r e g a r d t o

that very wide margin between

s e l l e r ' s

p r i c e a n d

re ta i l p r i c e i n t h i s c o u n t r y ,

i t seems

t o me

t h a t

they

would

have

recovered

such

expenses .

B u t ,

q u i t e a p a r t f r o m t h a t ,

t h e h y p o t h e t i c a l b u y e r s

w o u l d s u r e l y s a y

t o

t h e m s e l v e s

' I f

t h e c o m p l a i n a n t s ,

as

s o l e c o n c e s s i o n a i r e s ,

can

a f f o r d t o

pay

X

by

way

o f l n v o i c e p r i c e a n d

Y

by

way

o f a d v e r t i s i n g a n d

stlll make

a p r o f i t ,

t h e n s u r e l y

I

c a n a f f o r d

t o

pay

X

p l u s Y ' .

That

may

be

o v e r s i m p l i f y i n g t h e

p o s l t i o n , b u t

I

see no

answer

t o it."

There may be

an

answer

i n some

cases

i f

t h e s o l e

c o n c e s s i o n a i r e

is

a

s u b s i d i a r y

of

t h e e x p o r t e r a n d t h e

i n v o i c e

pr ice

h a s b e e n i n f l a t e d

t o

d i r e c t t h e w h o l e

of

t h e

p r o f i t

i m m e d i a t e l y

I n t o

t h e h a n d s o f

t h e

e x p o r t e r ;

b u t

o n

,,-~.?:-.-

the

e v i d e n c e

b e f o r e

u s

t h a t

is

n o t

h e

p r e s e n t

case.

I n

p r e s e n t

case,

t h e a d v e r t i s i n g e x p e n d i t u r e

was

i n c u r r e d

r e s p e c t

OP

various

k i n d s o f a d v e r t i s i n g w h i c h

was,

i n

greater

p r o p o r t i o n , u n d e r t a k e n

by

Renaul t

A u s t r a l i a

, -

a t

a

n a t i o n a l l e v e l

t o p r o m o t e t h e R e n a u l t

t r a d e

mark

and

l

. . ./13.

I .

13.

R e n a u l t

v e h i c l e s .

A d v e r t i s i n g

of

t h i s k i n d ,

i n

t h e n o t i o n a l

' t r a d i n g s i t u a t i o n p o s t u l a t e d

by

t h e B r u s s e l s C o n v e n t i o n ,

would

bc

undcrtakcn by Renaul t France.

We

a r r i v e a t t h j S

conc lus ion because

we

i n f e r t h a t t h e a c t u a l a d v e r t i s i n g

programme was

the programme

r e q u i r e d t o make

and main ta ln

t h e m a r k e t a n d b e c a u s e ,

i n t h e n o t i o n a l t r a d i n g s i t u a t i o n ,

t h e i m p o r t e r

-

t h e n o t i o n a l b u y e r

-

would have had no

c o m m e r c i a l j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r u n d e r t a k i n g a n e x t e n s i v e

campaign

t o a d v e r t i s e

t h e b r a n d

o r t r a d e mark.

After

a l l ,

an impor t e r , exclusive

whose

i n t e r e s t s are no t s a fegua rded

by

an

concession

agreement

,

would

sharpen

competi t lon

against

h i m s e l f b y e x t e n s i v e b r a n d a d v e r t i s i n g .

The ma jo r i ty o f t he expend i tu re on edve rc l s ing

u n d e r t a k e n b y t h e s o l e c o n c e s s i o n a i r e

of

a

b rand p roduc t

will

u s u a l l y

b e

r e f l e c t e d

i n

t h e

n o r m a l

p r i c e .

The r e l e v a n t

;

enqu i ry

is

w h e t h e r ,

i n

t h e a b s e n c e o f

a

s o l e c o n c e s s i o n a i r e ,

t h e e x p e n d i t u r e

on

a d v e r t i s i n g w o u l d b e

met

b y t h e

manufac turer

( o r ,

i n a p p r o p r i a t e

cases,

t h e owner

o

f

the

brand

t rade

mark)

The

.

same

conc lus ion was

r e a c h e d

i n

F rance by the Cour t o f Cassa t ion

i n

d e l i v e r i n g

Its

Judgment

on

4

November

1965 a l lowing an appea l

by

t h e Customs

a u t h o r i t i e s a g a i n s t t h e a c q u l t t a l o f

one

B e r t o l a f o r

unde r s t a t emen t

of

value.

The

Court

s a i d :

I ,

. . .

f o r a d v e r t l s i n g e x p e n s e s t o b e r e g a r d e d

as

h a v i n g b e e n i n c u r r e d i n

t h e

i n t e re s t

of

t h e

f o r e i g n

se l le r -

w h e t h e r I n f u l l

o r i n a

propor t ion whlch

t h e p a r t i e s

must

e s t a b l i s h a n d , i n

case

of

d i sag reemen t , wh ich

the

Judge

ru l ing

on

t h e facts

m u s t

assess

-

it

s u f f i c e s f o r s u c h e x p e n s e s

t o

have been incu r red

a t

n a t i o n a l l e v e l b y t h e s o l e

d i s t r i b u t o r

who

h a s i n f a c t u n d c r t a k e n t o e s t a b l i s h

or

m a i n t a i n

a

m a r k e t f o r

t h e products and goods

s o l d u n d e r

the

t r a d e

mark

o f t h e f o r e l g n s u p p l i e r ,

i n

t h e

l a t t e r ' s

s t e a d , w i t h o u t

i t

b e i n g n e c e s s a r y

t o a s c e r t a i n

o r

e s t a b l i s h t h a t t h e d i s t r i b u t o r

h a s d e r i v e d a n y p r o f i t

from

s u c h a d v e r t i s i n g . "

We

t u r n

now

t o t h e

specif ic h e a d s o f a d v e r t i s i n g

. . ./14.

14.

e x p e n d i t u r e i n c u r r e d

by

R e n a u l t A u s t r a l i a

l n

o r d e r t o

ascertain how much of that expendl-cure would have been met

by

Renau l t P rance

i f

t he goods Impor t ed had been so ld

in

the

circumstances assumed and upon the

terms

pre-supposed by

the Brusse e x p e n d i t u r e u n d e r v a r i o u s h e a d s a n d ,

l

s

Conven t ion .

The

p a r t i e s h a v e d i s s e c t e d

t h i s

f o r

r e a s o n s

upon

which

we

are

n o t c o n c e r n e d t o

comment,

the

p a r t l e s h a v e a g r e e d t h a t

some

items

b e e x c l u d e d f r o m c o n s i d e r a t i o n i n t h e c a l c u l a t i o n

of

an u p l i f t upon

t h e

i n v o i c e p r i c e .

Some

items

have

been

appor t ioned

so

t h a t o n l y

a

propor t ion has been exc luded f rom

c o n s i d e r a t i o n .

Where

t h e

p r o p o r t i o n

h a s

b e e n

a g r e e d ,

we

adopt

it w i t h o u t

comment.

The

q u e s t i o n s

f o r

o u r

d e t e r m i n a t i o n

re la te

t o

t h e d i s p u t e d p r o p o r t l o n o f c e r t a i n

items

v:hich,

i n

t h e a p p l i c a n t ' s s u b m i s s i o n , o u g h t n o t

t o b e

t a k e n i n t o

account a t a l l o r ,

i n t h e case of

some

Items,

o u g h t n o t

t o

be

t a k e n i n t o a c c o u n t t o t h e e x t e n t w h i c h t h e r e s p o n d e n t

proposes .

I t is necessa ry t o refer t o these items seriatim.

Media

A d v e r t i s i n g

The

a p p l i c a n t

s u b m i t s

t h a t t h e r e is

a

large

p r o p o r t i o n

of

t h i s e x p e n d i t u r e w h i c h s h o u l d

be

exc luded ,

Tor

it is Renaul t " logo"

i n c u r r e d

f o r a d v e r t l s l n g w h i c h ,

t h o u g h

i t

c o n t a i n s

t h e

or

t r a d e mark

o r c o n t a i n s

a

pho to

o r o t h e r

r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f

a

R e n a u l t v e h i c l e ,

is

c a l c u l a t e d t o

f a c i l i t a t e

r e c o g n l t i o n

of

t h e d e a l e r ' s p r e m i s e s w h e r e t h e

v e h l c l e s may

be

i n spec ted

and

t e s t -d r iven .

The

t e s t

vthlch

i s

i m p l i c i t l y p r o p o s e d i n t h e a p p l l c a n t ' s s u b m i s s i o n

is

<,-~:CLy!?--

w h e t h e r t h e p r i m a r y o b j e c t i v e o f t h e a d v e r t i s i n g

is

t o

p r o m o t e t h e t r a d e m a r k o r w h e t h e r t h e p r i m a r y o b j e c t i v e

i s

t o

draw

a t t e n t l o n t o t h e p l a c e s w h e r e R e n a u l t v e h i c l e s

may

be

found

f o r in spec t lon

and

sale.

An

a d v e r t i s i n g

a g e n t

whom

t h e a p p l i c a n t c a l l e d s a i d t h a t " t h e a v a i l a b i l i t y

of

, ,

I .

i /

...

115

I I

' I

15.

t h e car t h e i n s p e c t i o n o f t h e v e h l c l e a t

f o r i n s p e c t i o n

is

t e r r i b l y

i m p o r t a n t ” , a n d

no

doubt

the

d e a l e r ‘ s p r e m l s e s

is

a

c r l t i c a l

s t e p i n

a

p u r c h a s e r ’ s d e c i s i o n w h e t h e r

t o b u y .

E u t

i n t h e p o s t u l a t e d t r a d i n g s i t u a t i o n , t h i s v e r y f a c t o r w o u l d

r e q u i r e a d v e r t i s i n g

of

t h e s u b J e c t l r l n d t o

be

under taken ,

and the manufac turer mlght reasonably

be

e x p e c t e d t o e n s u r e

t h a t it a d v e r t i s i n g , b u t w h e t h e r

was.

The

t e s t

is n o t

the

purpose

or

o b j e c t i v e o f

t h e

-

t h e a d v e r t l s i n g c l e a r l y b e l n g

d e s i r a b l e

as

a n

a i d t o m a r k e t i n g

-

t he cos t wou ld be bo rne

I n

t h e n o t i o n a l t r a d l n g s i t u a t i o n b y t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r

who

I

owns the t h e n o t i o n a l b u y e r , m l g h t

t rade

mark

.

Perhaps

the

uncommit

ted

impor te r ,

do

some

a d v e r t i s i n g o f t h i s k l n d

t o assist

t h e d e a l e r s

-who buy

€rom

him;

or

p e r h a g s

t h e

d e a l e r s m l g h t c o n t r i b u t e

a

l i t t l e

more

than

they present

l

!

do t o r e g i o n a l contends for t h e inclusion of

o r n a t l o n a l

a d v e r t i s i n g .

The

respondent

75% o f

t h i s e x p e n d i t u r e , a n d

i n o u r CO-operat ive Advert is ing

view

t h e

p r o p o r t i o n s h o u l d n o t b e

less

t h a n

this.

A d v e r t i s i n g o f t h i s k i n d

is

i n o n e

respect

d i s t ingu i shab le

f rom

med

ia

adve r t i s ing . .

I t

is p a i d

for by

a

8 . .

f u n d t o w h i c h t h e d e a l e r s c o n t r i b u t e t h e

major

p a r t ,

and

which has

a

s t r o n g e r o r l e n t a t i o n t o w a r d s l d e n t l f y l n g d e a l e r s ,

t h e i r premises

a n d

s e r v l c e s

i n l o c a l areas.

I n

the

n o t l o n a l

t r a d i n g s l t u a t i o n ,

t h e

r e sponden t has a s sume6

tha t Renau l t

F rance wou ld con t r lbu te

less

t o t h l s f u n d t h a n t h e

A u s t r a l i a n

s u b s i d i a r i e s c o n t r i b u t e , a n d h a s e x c l u d e d

75%

f r o m

c a l c u l a t i o n .

T h a t

assessment

a p p e a r s ,

i n

o u r

v l e w ,

t o

b e

generous,

b u t

as

no

more

is

s o u g h t t o b e i n c l u d e d

we

adopt

25%

€or

u p l i f t p u r p o s e s .

B rochures ,

P romot iona l

D i sp lays ,

Sa l e s

P romot ion ,

Exh ib l t i ons ,

Competi t ions,

Audience

Test

ing,

Research,

Technlcal

Costs

and-

Misce l laneous

The

respondent would exclude

755 of

t h e s e costs,

176

16.

and

the

a p p l i c a n t

seeks

t o

e x c l u d e

100%.

These c o s t s are

more

closely

related

t o the

m a r k e t i n g a c t i v i t i e s c o n d u c t e d

by dealers.

Brochures are handed

out

by dealers;

d i s p l a y s

a n d e x h i b i t i o n s

may

b e o r g a n i z e d a n d s t a f f e d b y

dealers,

sales promotions may

include programmes

"mplemented w i t h i n

t he dealer network".

In

t h e

n o t i o n a l

t r a d i n g

s i t u a t i o n ,

however , Senaul t

France

wou ld necessa r i ly

assume

the

c o s t

of

these

a c t i v i t i e s t o t h e e x t e n t

t o vrhich

t h e n o t i o n a l

buyer and

t h e dealers would not

defray t h e c o s t s which

t h e

A u s t r a l i a n

s u b s i d i a r i e s

now meet.

25% of

these

c o s t s is a

conse rva t ive

estimate.

The

c o s t s

o

f

c o m p e t l t i o n s ,

t e s t i n g ,

research,

t e c h n i c a l c o s t s a n d m i s c e l l a n e o u s

are

cos t s wh ich

t h e

d e a l e r s w o u l d n o t b e a r , a n d

there

seems

t o be

l i t t l e

r eason

f o r

p o s t u l a t i n g

t h a t

w h o l e s a l e i m p o r t e r s o p e r a t i n g i n

a

f u l l y c o m p e t i t i v e

market,

uncommit ted

in

a n y way

t o t h e i r

sellers

( excep t

f o r

t h e payment

of

a

pr ice) w o u l d c o n t r i b u t e

s u b s t a n t i a l l y t o

these

k i n d s

of

expendi ture ,

and

one

would

i

c e r t a i n l y n o t e x p e c t

that

such

f r e e l a n c e c o m p e t i t o r s

would

cont r ibu te

75%.

We

t h e r e f o r e

decline

t o r e d u c e

t h e

r e s p o n d e n t ' s

i n c l u s i o n

of

components under

these

heads

in

t h e

assessment

o f

the

v a l u e f o r d u t y .

S igns

The

A u s t r a i l a n s u b s l d i a r i e s c o n t r i b u t e t o

t h e

c o s t

of erecting signs on dealers' premises .

These s i g n s

n

o

d o u b t

assist

i n the

marke t ing

of

Renaul t vehlc les , and

they

are,

one would think,

a

s i g n i f i c a n t means

of

b r i n g i n g p o t e n t i a l

b u y e r s t o

t h e

place

where

t h e y

may

i n s p e c t t h e v e h i c l e s .

The expense of

a s s i s t i n g t h e

dealers i n t h i s

way

is a normal

expense which might be borne

- a t least t o some e x t e n t - b y

. . .

/17.

L

17.

i

a p a r t y whose

interests

c o n s i s t c o t

so much

i n s e l l i n g

I

I

l

Renaul t vehicles by wholesale i n

c o m p e t i t i o n

wi th

o t h e r

' I

w h o l e s a l e r s ,

p r o m o t i n g

i n

b u t

the

sales

of

all

Renaul t

# l

v e h i c l e s i r r e s p e c t i v e o f t h e w h o l e s a l e r

who

s u p p l i e s t h e m

t o t h e d e a l e r . s i t u a t i o n t o a t t r i b u t e a t

I t

is

r e a s o n a b l e

i n

t h e

n o t i o n a l

t r a d i n g

least

some

c o s t o f

s i g n s t o t h e

I

sel ler who

s e l l s t o t h e

wholesaler.

25% of

t h e c o s t j s

I

' i

s o u g h t f o r i n c l u s i o n i n t h e v a l u e f o r d u t y a n d

we

a l l o w

-.-

t h i s p e r c e n t a g e

as

b e i n g well

w i t h i n

a

r easonab le marg in .

Before

c a l c u l a t i n g the

a p p r o p r i a t e p e r c e n t a g e s

of

u p l i f t upon

t h e f i n d i n g s

we

have

made,

i t is necessary t o

refer

t o t h r e e

f u r t h e r

ma tze r s .

1

i

a p p l i c a n t t h e u p l i f t f i g u r e

r o p o s e s

t h e

F i r s t ,

a

d i s c o u n t i n g

f

1

t o re f lec t

t h e p r o p o r t l o n

of

t o t a l u n i t

1

sales made

th rough company-owned

d e a l e r s h i p s .

\'le

see no

r eason suppor t ing such a d i scoun t ing . The price p a i d by t h e n o t i o n a l b u y e r i n t h e n o t i o n a l t r a d l n g s i t u a t i o n w o u l d b e qu i t e una f fec t ed by Renau l t F rance ' s owner sh ip of re ta i l

i

d e a l e r s h i p s .

I

I

Second, it is agreed

between

t h e p a r t i e s

t h a t

the

I

1

I

u p l i f t

s h o u l d

be

d i scoun ted

ag r

an

by

p

ed

rcen tage

accoun t

t o

I

1 for the

components domest ica l ly

of

a s sembled

the

v

h ic l e s

wh ich

are

p roduced .

A s

t h a t

a g r e e m e n t

l e a d s

u

s

t o

r e f r a i n

I

f r om

c

ns ide r ing

ques t ions

wh ich

migh t

have

been

r a i sed

i

wi th

respect

t o

t h e e f f e c t o f d o m e s t i c a s s e m b l y a n d p a r t

p roduc t ion

of

b r a n d g o o d s ,

t h e T r i b u n a l

r e s e r v e s

t h e s e

t<

q u e s t i o n s

€or

c o n s i d e r a t i o n

i f

t hey shou ld

i n f u t u r e be

canvassed before it .

The

t h i r d matter

re la tes

t o t h e u s e

of

t h e i n v o i c e

1

prices of t h e SUbJeCt

shipment

as t h e basis for t h e

u p l i f t

.

/18.

1s.

c a l c u l a t i o n .

T h e

par t ies

a g r e e d

t h a t

t h e

l n v o l c e

prices,

when

u p l i f t e d b y t h e a p p r o p r i a t e p e r c e n t a g e ,

wlll

cor re spond

w i t h t h e normal price.

We

do

no

t

ques t ion

that

agreenwnL

e x c e p t t o n o t e

t h a t

t h e u p l i f t i n g

of

t h e

i n v o i c e p r i c e

o c c a s i o n s a n

i n c r e a s e

i n d u t y ,

t h e b u r d e n

df

vrhich

f a l l s

i

I ,

upon

t h e n o t i o n a l b u y e r

( A r t l c l e T ( ~ ) ( c ) ) .

I t

may

be

t hough t

t h a t t h e b u r d e n o f i n c r e a s e d

duty

w o u l d a f f e c t t h e p r i c e

w h i c h t h e n o t i o n a l b u y e r w o u l d b e p r e p a r e d t o p a y a n d

t h a t ,

by

some

k i n d

of

c i r c u l a r a d j u s t m e n t , t h e

no rma l

p r i c e o n c e

a r r i v e d

a t

m u s t b e t r e a t e d

as

p r o v i s i o n a l o n l y a n d l i a b l e

t o

downward

a d j u s t m e n t t o c o m p e n s a t e t h e n o t i o n a l b u y e r

for

t h e

i n c r e a s e d

d u t y .

S u c h

a

downward

adJus tmen t

wou

ld

r e su l t

' I ' I

i n

t he du ty be ing bo rne

i n p a r t b y t h e

sel ler

and such

a

hypo thes i s

i s

n o t c o n s i s t e n t

with

t h e B r u s s e l s D e f i n i t i o n .

The ma themat i ca l ca l cu la t ions wh ich ,

I n

t h e l i g h t

o f our f i n d i n g s , we

nom

make

are se t out i n t h e se t s of

co r re spond lng f igu res p rov lded by the

parties

t o t h e T r i b u n a l

af ter

t h e c l o s e

of h e a r i n g .

Most

o f

t h o s e

f i g u r e s

are

drawn

from documents

or evidence in respect of which we made a n

o r d e r u n d e r s . 3 5 ( l ) ( b ) , a n d

i t

is

unnecessa ry

to

r ep roduce

them i n

t h e s e

reasons.

We

a c c e p t

t h e

a g r e e d

f l g u r e s ,

n o t l n g

t h a t t h e p a r t i e s

agree

t h a t t h e

combined Renault

and

P e u g e o t f l g u r e s s u p p l y t h e a p p r o p r i a t e b a s e s f o r c a l c u l a t l o n .

We

d e t e r m l n e t h a t

t h e a p p r o p r i a t e p e r c e n t a g e o f u p l i f t

is

1.84%

The

r e s u l t is t h a t t h e v a l u e

f o r d u t y

s h o u l d b e

$110,4S5.00 upon whlch duty

is

t o b e a s s e s s e d

a t

35%.

1

The

a p p l i c a n t , n o t i n g

t h a t

t h e r e s p o n d e n t c o n t e n d e d

'I

* :'

.I

. I

i ,,..

. .

, \ >

f o r a n u p l l f t f i g u r e

of

1.849,

addressed

an

argument

t o us

I

.

I . .

c o m p a r e d t h e r e l a t l v e s i t u a t i o n s

of

an

A u s t r a l i a n

who

a d v e r t i s e s i n Austral ia ,

and a

€ore ign

manufacturer

who

a d v e r t i s e s i n A u s t r a l i a

or

who

p r o c u r e s

1

.

.

. 119.

19.

its s u b s l d i a r y 'manufac tu re r bea r du ty

t o do so. The

goods

of t h e

f o r e i g n

upon

t h e

amount

expended

on

domesric

adverLisulg,

Lhe

goods

01

Lhe

A u s t l a l i d n m a n u f ~ c t u r e r do

n o t .

A s it Def in i t ion which would

seems

t o us,

t h a t r e s u l t

is

i n t e n d e d b y t h e B r u s s e l s

b r m g

t o d u t y t h e c d s t s

of

t h e

f o r e i g n m a n u f a c t u r e r i n e s t a b l l s h i n g a n d m a l n t a l n i n g h i s

market

I n t he

impor t lng

coun t ry .

The

B r u s s e l s

D e f l n i t i o n

i n t e n d s t o p r e v e n t t h e f o r e i g n m a n u f a c t u r e r f r o m a v o l d i n g t h e i n t e n d e d l i a b i l i t y by n o t i o n a l l y a n n i h l l a t i n g t h e

I

p a r t i c u l a r a r r a n g e m e n t s

b y

which he

may

p r o c u r e

a

company

w i t h i n t h e I m p o r t i n g c o u n t r y t o

meet

t h e c o s t s o f

e s t a b l i s h i n g a n d m a l n t a i n l n g h i s m a r k e t i n c o m p e t i t i o n

w i t h

t h e

d o m e s t i c

m a n u f a c t u r e r .

? : h e t h e r

t h a t

c o n c l u s i o n

j u s t

is

n o t

a

r e l e v a n t c o n s i d e r a t i o n

for

t h i s T r i b u n a l .

I n t h e

r e s u l t , we

de termlne the amount of

duty a t

$38,669.75.

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