§40.183. Record of tobacco products. — Inbound Citations

Every manufacturer of tobacco products must keep records of his operations and transactions which shall reflect, for each day, the information specified in §§ 40.182 and 40.183. For this purpose day shall mean calendar day, except that the appropriate TTB officer may, upon application of the manufacturer by letter, in duplicate, authorize as such day for a factory a 24-hour cycle of operation other than the calendar day. A day once so established as other than the calendar day may be changed only by another application approved by the appropriate TTB officer. No specific form is required. The manufacturer may use commercial records from which the required information may be readily ascertained for this purpose. The manufacturer shall keep the auxiliary and supplemental records from which such records are compiled and shall keep supporting records, as specified in §§ 40.184 and 40.186, of tobacco products removed subject to tax and transferred in bond. Except as provided in §§ 40.184 and 40.186, the entries in the commercial records so maintained or kept shall be made not later than the close of the next business day following the day on which the transaction(s) occurred. As used in this section the term business day shall mean any day other than Saturday, Sunday, a legal holiday in the District of Columbia, or a statewide legal holiday in the State wherein the factory to which the records relate is located.

(e) In addition to the records prescribed by § 40.183, a manufacturer who removes tobacco products in bond for experimental purposes outside a factory must prepare and maintain a record containing the following information:

(1) Name and address of the consignee;

(2) Kind and quantity of tobacco products removed;

(3) Description of packaging, if any, of the tobacco products removed;

(4) Description of how and when the consignee will use the tobacco products; and

In cases of emergency, the appropriate TTB officer may authorize, for a stated period, the temporary storage of tobacco products at a place outside the factory without the application for amended permit required under § 40.114, where such action will not hinder the effective administration of this part, is not contrary to law, and will not jeopardize the revenue. Application for authorization to so store tobacco products shall be submitted to the appropriate TTB officer by letter, in duplicate. All tobacco products so stored outside the factory shall be accounted for in the records and reports required under §§ 40.183 and 40.202 the same as products within the factory.

Whenever a manufacturer of tobacco products makes a physical inventory of packaged tobacco products in bond, either as part of normal operations or when required by an appropriate TTB officer, and such inventory discloses a shortage or overage in such products by kind as recorded and reported (i.e., small cigars, large cigars, chewing tobacco, snuff, pipe tobacco, or roll-your-own tobacco), the manufacturer shall enter such shortage or overage in the records required by § 40.183. Shortages or overages in inventories made at different times may not be used to offset each other, but shall be recorded and reported separately. Unless the manufacturer establishes that a shortage was not caused by a removal subject to the tax the manufacturer shall determine the tax on any shortage, make an adjustment in Schedule A of his next semimonthly tax return and pay the tax thereon. If, after paying the tax on a shortage, the manufacturer satisfactorily establishes that the shortage was not caused by a removal subject to tax, then such payment would be an overpayment of tax which the manufacturer may recover as provided in § 40.286. Where the manufacturer can establish prior to paying the tax on a shortage, that the shortage was not the result of a removal subject to tax he shall submit an explanation of such shortage with his report for the month in which the shortage was disclosed and, if appropriate, he may file claim for remission of tax liability as provided in § 40.287. When an overage is disclosed which the manufacturer can explain, he shall include such explanation in his monthly report and refund of any overpayment may be recovered as provided in § 40.286. Whenever a physical inventory discloses a shortage or overage of tobacco products which have not been packaged the manufacturer shall appropriately enter such shortage or overage in his records and shall, at the time required by the appropriate TTB officer, furnish an explanation in the form of a claim for remission of tax liability as provided in § 40.287. The manufacturer shall pay the tax on any shortage or portion thereof for which he is unable to furnish an explanation acceptable to the appropriate TTB officer.