Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd v Customs and Excise: ChD 27 Jul 2005

The appellants had imported Playstation computer games. They appealed refusal of a rebate of 50 million euros paid in VAT before a reclassification of the equipment so as to make it exempt from VAT.
Held: ‘The effect of the annulment of a Community act under Articles 230 and 231 EC Treaty is to render that act void ab initio, and Sony must be placed in the situation it would have been in, had the annulled Community act not been adopted.’ the tribunal had erred in law. However, if the revocation decision was a separate decision, not dependent on the Regulation for its validity, then an annulled Regulation which produces no effects in Community law cannot be used to strike it down. The revocation decision was made before the Regulation came into force. The Regulation was not a legal basis for the separate revocation decision, as such. Sony sought to have the issue referred to the ECJ. The Chancery Division is unable to make such a reference itself since a further appeal was available. The issue also was essentially one of fact and as such not capable of reference.

Judges:

Collins J

Citations:

[2005] EWHC 1644 (Ch), [2003] ECR II-418

Links:

Bailii

Jurisdiction:

England and Wales

Citing:

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. .
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. .
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ECJ Regulations No 1638/94 and No 1165/95 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature are invalid inasmuch as they classify under heading No 8517 of the Combined Nomenclature . .
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Europa Common customs tariff – tariff headings – ‘entertainment articles; carnival articles’ . . . Within the meaning of tariff heading 97.05 – concept – flashing light circles – inclusion – ‘flashing light . .
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ECJ Annex I to Regulation No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff, as amended by Regulation No 1734/96, must be interpreted as meaning that an ink-cartridge without . .
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Europa The Combined Nomenclature, set out in Annex I to Regulation No 1359/95 amending Annexes I and II to Regulation No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff, and . .
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Europa The concept of ‘charge having equivalent effect’ under the agricultural regulations must be taken to have the same meaning as in articles 9 et seq . Of the treaty.
The prohibition of all customs . .
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Classification of goods for customs tariff purposes – Binding tariff information – Conditions for the revocation of an information.
Customs authorities which had issued binding tariff information were ‘not entitled to revoke that information at . .
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The Commissioners had seized a lorry which had been carrying goods on which duty had not been paid. The respondent asked them to review their decision under section 14. They failed to give their determination and under section 15, were deemed to . .
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Breach of competition laws leading to substantial financial penalties are regarded by the European Court as criminal rather than civil in nature.
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ECJ The direct application of a community regulation means that its entry into force and its application in favour of or against those subject to it are independent of any measure adopting it into national law. . .
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Europa Where, in proceedings based on Article 169 of the Treaty, the Commission requests the Court to declare that a Member State has failed to fulfil its obligations under the Treaty, it is for the Commission . .
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ECJ The Common Customs Tariff must be interpreted as meaning that apparatuses which can both send faxes and make copies, and comprise a scanning device (scanner), a digital storage device (memory) and a printing . .
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Held: Although the House accepted that this was ‘an inference of fact’, on the primary facts as found by the Commissioners ‘the true and only . .
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Tariff classification was in essence a matter of factual evaluation in view of the features and properties of the products to be classified, and continued: ‘The cases show that the European Court of Justice employs a limited number of principles and . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.

VAT, European

Updated: 27 September 2022; Ref: scu.229040