International Services Surveys: BE-93 Annual Survey of Royalties, License Fees and Other Receipts and Payments for Intangible Rights Between U.S. and Unaffiliated Foreign Persons

These final rules amend the reporting requirements for the BE- 93, Annual Survey of Royalties, License Fees, and Other Receipts and Payments Between U.S. and Unaffiliated Foreign Persons. The BE-93 survey is conducted by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), U.S. Department of Commerce, under the International Investment and Trade in Services Survey Act. The data are needed to support U.S. trade policy initiatives, compile the U.S. international transactions accounts and the national income and product accounts, assess U.S. competitiveness in international trade in services, and improve the ability of U.S. businesses to identify and evaluate market opportunities. The revised rules raise the exemption level for the BE-93 survey to $2 million in covered receipts or payments, from $500,000 on the previous (1999) survey. Raising the exemption level will reduce respondent burden, particularly for small companies.