[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 53 (Tuesday, March 18, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 14432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-5325]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Annual 
Wholesale Trade Survey

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau.

ACTION: Notice.

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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: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before May 19, 2008.

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) and instructions 
should be directed to John Miller, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8K081, 
Washington, DC 20233-6500, (301) 763-2758.


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS) covers companies with 
employment that are primarily engaged in merchant wholesale trade in 
the United States, including wholesalers that take title of the goods 
they sell such as jobbers, industrial distributors, exporters, 
importers, and manufacturers' sales branches and offices. Additionally, 
the AWTS includes companies that do not take title of the goods they 
sell such as agents, merchandise or commodity brokers, commission 
merchants, and electronic business-to-business markets. The Bureau of 
Economic Analysis uses this information to improve the inventory 
valuation adjustments applied to estimates of the Gross Domestic 
Product, and considers these data vital inputs to the National Income 
and Product accounts and annual input-output tables.
    The estimates produced from the AWTS are based on a probability 
sample and are published on the North American Industry Classification 
System basis. The sample design consists of small, medium, and large 
businesses requested to report sales on one of six questionnaires (the 
three classifications that follow are broken into separate 
questionnaires for company or single establishment reporters). Merchant 
wholesale establishments, excluding manufacturers' sales branches and 
offices, are requested to provide sales, e-commerce, inventories, 
method of inventory valuation, inventories held outside the United 
States, purchases, and operating expenses. Manufacturers' sales 
branches and offices are requested to provide sales, e-commerce, 
inventories, method of inventory valuation, inventories held outside 
the United States, and operating expenses. The agents, merchandise or 
commodity brokers, commission merchants, and electronic business-to-
business markets are requested to provide commissions, sales on their 
own account, e-commerce, and operating expenses. The sample, consisting 
of approximately 8,900 businesses, is drawn from the Business Register, 
which contains all Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) and listed 
establishment locations. The sample is updated quarterly to reflect 
employer ``births'' and ``deaths''; adding new employer businesses 
identified in the Business and Professional Classification Survey and 
deleting firms and EINs when it is determined they are no longer 
active.
    Data from the AWTS are published at the United States summary level 
for selected wholesale industries approximately fourteen months after 
the end of the collection year.

II. Method of Collection

    The information will be collected by mail, Internet, fax, and 
telephone.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0195.
    Form Number: SA-42, SA-42A, SA-42(MSBO), SA-42A(MSBO), SA-42(AGBR), 
SA-42A(AGBR).
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 8,887.
    Estimated Time per Response: 31 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,592.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, sections 182, 224, 
and 225.

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 12, 2008.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
 [FR Doc. E8-5325 Filed 3-17-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P