This survey will obtain universe data
on transactions in selected services and intangible assets with
foreign persons. The data are needed, among other purposes, to
support U.S. trade policy initiatives, including trade
negotiations, and to compile the U.S. international transactions
and the national income and product accounts.
US Code:
22 USC 3101-3108 Name of Law: International Investment and
Trade in Services Survey Act
The survey, as proposed, is
expected to result in the filing of reports by about 5,000
respondents. The total respondent burden of the survey is estimated
at 60,000 hours (5,000 responses times 12 hours average burden).
The burden for the BE-20 survey that the BE-120 replaces had 13,200
burden hours when last conducted in 2001. However, the 2001 BE-20
currently has no burden hours in the inventory maintained by OMB,
since the form expired in 2004. In addition, the data to be
collected on the proposed BE-120 will include data that had been
collected on Form BE-47, Annual Survey of Construction,
Engineering, Architectural, and Mining Services Provided by U.S.
Firms to Unaffiliated Foreign Persons (700 burden hours) and Form
BE-93, Annual Survey of Royalties, License Fees, and Other Receipts
and Payments for Intangible Rights Between U.S. and Unaffiliated
Foreign Persons (2,520 burden hours). Finally, some of the burden
for the BE-120 will be offset by the reductions in burden that will
occur when the data on services and royalties and license fee
transactions between affiliated parties are dropped from the direct
investment surveys on which they now are collected (Forms BE-577,
BE-605 and BE-605 Bank). In August 2005, BEA submitted a Form 83-D
to OMB to discontinue the 2001 BE-20 survey pending a request to
reinstitute the survey for the year 2006. The 83-D was submitted in
order to prevent BEA from being in violation of the PRA (i.e.,
having an expired survey with no Form 83-D on file). The Form 83-D
was not entered into the ROCIS database. Therefore, the burden
estimates shown above in the columns headed "Program Change Due to
Agency Discretion" and "Change Due to Potential Violation of the
PRA," are inaccurate, and should show 0. I cannot adjust the burden
estimate numbers for these columns to accurately reflect that this
proposed ICR has an increase in burden and not a decrease in
burden.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Form BE-120 Benchmark Survey of Transactions in Selected Services and Intangible Assets with Foreign Persons
SUPPORTING STATEMENTA.doc
Benchmark Survey of Transactions in Selected Services and Intangible Assets with Foreign Persons