[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 60 (Thursday, March 29, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14777-14778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-5726]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


2007 Business Expenses Supplement

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 29, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) should be directed 
to Sheldon G. Ziman, BES Project Manager, Service Sector Statistics 
Division, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8K168, Washington DC 20233; phone 
301-763-6559 or toll free 888-211-5946; or e-mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The U.S. Census Bureau is proposing a one-time supplement to its 
annual surveys of retail trade and wholesale distributors, to be 
conducted in 2008 covering the year 2007.
    The Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) has 
requested that business expense data be collected once every five 
years. The BEA considers this information as a vital ingredient in the 
preparation of key measures of the U.S. economy. This data collection 
will be known as the 2007 Business Expenses Supplement (BES) and will 
be implemented under the authority of the 2007 Economic Census, which 
is required by law to be taken every five years under Title 13 of the 
United States Code.
    The 2007 BES is an extension of the annual surveys of retail trade 
and wholesale distributors, which are conducted on a sample basis with 
a new sample drawn every fifth year. The 2007 BES is a continuation of 
similar

[[Page 14778]]

collections of business expenses data conducted every fifth year since 
1977, and since 1958 on a more limited basis. Data collected by the BES 
on business operating expenses will complement data on sales, 
merchandise purchases, and inventories compiled in the two mentioned 
annual surveys. (Data on operating expenses of other industries are 
compiled in other Census Bureau programs.) Together these sample-based 
data are benchmarked to the main economic census and are used to 
compile economic measures such as value added. The collection of 
business expenses data is required for reliable measurement of the 
United States economy. As such, the BEA, producer of gross domestic 
product (GDP) estimates, is the primary user. The BEA uses the expenses 
data for developing the national income and product accounts, input-
output tables, and economic indexes, and to fill previously identified 
critical gaps in underlying data in these accounts.
    Industrial sectors covered by the BES include wholesale 
distributors, retail trade, and accommodation and food services, as 
based on the 2002 North American Industry Classification System 
(NAICS). The samples used in this data collection consist of employer 
firms in the covered industries within the U.S. whose probability of 
selection is determined by sales size.
    The information collected will produce statistics by kind of 
business on operating expenses such as labor costs, depreciation, rent, 
materials and supplies, utilities, and purchased services such as 
advertising, repairs, computer services, and professional and technical 
services. The primary strategy for minimizing respondent burden is the 
use of sampling; supplementing the Bureau's business annual surveys as 
the data collection vehicle; optional electronic reporting; and 
providing for respondents' use of carefully prepared estimates if their 
book figures are not readily available.

II. Method of Collection

    The 2007 BES supplements the Census Bureau's annual surveys of 
retail trade and wholesale distributors, which are conducted using both 
the Internet with CensusTaker software and mailout/mailback procedures. 
Most multi-location companies included in the samples will receive a 
separate annual/BES report form to consolidate their data for each 
unique kind of business operated. Only employer businesses will be 
mailed.
    Data for non-employers for retail and accommodation and food 
service industries will be estimated based on administrative records. 
The questionnaires along with instructions for Internet reporting will 
be mailed from the Census Bureau's National Processing Center in 
Jeffersonville, Indiana. Three periodic mail follow-ups and a telephone 
follow-up will be conducted in conjunction with the annual surveys. 
These follow-ups will minimize statistical error due to nonresponse. In 
addition, responses will be accepted via Fax.
    The BES response data will be edited and reviewed, and individual 
respondents contacted when necessary for clarification of questionable 
responses.

III. Data

    OMB Number: None.
    Form Number: None. All of the forms to be used to collect 
information for the BES are associated with the concurrent business 
annual surveys of wholesale distributors and retail trade.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Incorporated and non-incorporated employer 
businesses in the U.S. classified as retail trade, wholesale 
distributors, or accommodation and food services.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 28,541.
    Estimated Time per Response: 2.7 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 77,060.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Respondents: The total cost to 
respondents is estimated to be $2.4 million based on an hourly salary 
rate of $30.93 for entry level accountants and auditors multiplied by 
the annual response burden of 77,060 hours to complete the form.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 131, 193, 
195, and 224.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: March 23, 2007.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E7-5726 Filed 3-28-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P