82 FR 18103 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 72 (April 17, 2017)

Page Range		18103-18104
FR Document		2017-07625

Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 72 (Monday, April 17, 2017)

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 72 (Monday, April 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18103-18104]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-07625]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0190.
    Form Number(s): SM4217-A, SM4217-E.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Number of Respondents: 4,200.
    Average Hours per Response: 7 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 5,880.
    Needs and Uses: The Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey (MWTS) canvasses 
firms primarily engaged in merchant wholesale trade that are located in 
the United States, excluding manufacturers' sales branches and offices 
(MSBOs). This survey provides the only continuous measure of monthly 
wholesale sales, end-of-month inventories, and inventories-to-sales 
ratios. The sales and inventories estimates produced from the MWTS 
provide current trends of economic activity by kind of business for the 
United States. Also, the estimates compiled from this survey provide 
valuable information for economic policy decisions by the government 
and are widely used by private businesses, trade organizations, 
professional associations, and other business research and analysis 
organizations.
    Estimates from the MWTS are released in three different reports 
each month. High level aggregate estimates for end-of-month inventories 
are first released as part of the Advance Economic Indicators Report. 
Second, the full Monthly Wholesale Trade Report containing both sales 
and

[[Page 18104]]

inventories estimates is released. Lastly, high level sales and 
inventories estimates from the MWTS are also released as part of the 
Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales (MTIS) report. The 
Advance Economic Indicators Report is a new report first released on 
July 28, 2016, and will be released monthly on an ongoing basis.
    As one of the U.S. Census Bureau's principal economic indicators, 
the estimates produced by the MWTS are critical to the accurate 
measurement of total economic activity of the United States. The 
estimates of sales made by wholesale locations represent only merchant 
wholesalers, excluding MSBOs, who typically take title to goods bought 
for resale and sell to other businesses. The sales estimates include 
sales made on credit as well as on a cash basis, but exclude receipts 
from sales taxes and interest charges from credit sales.
    The estimates of inventories represent all merchandise held in 
wholesale locations, warehouses, and offices, as well as goods held by 
others for sale on consignment or in transit for distribution to 
wholesale establishments. The estimates of inventories exclude fixtures 
and supplies not for resale, as well as merchandise held on 
consignment, which are owned by others. Inventories are an important 
component in the Bureau of Economic Analysis' (BEA) calculation of the 
investment portion of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
    The U.S. Census Bureau publishes wholesale sales and inventories 
estimates based on the North American Industry Classification System 
(NAICS), which has been widely adopted throughout both the public and 
private sectors.
    The Census Bureau tabulates the collected data to provide, with 
measurable reliability, statistics on sales, end-of-month inventories, 
and inventories-to-sales ratios for merchant wholesalers, excluding 
MSBOs.
    The BEA is the primary Federal user of data collected in the MWTS. 
The BEA uses estimates from this survey to prepare the national income 
and product accounts (NIPA), input-output accounts (I-O), and gross 
domestic product (GDP) by industry. End-of-month inventories are used 
to prepare the change in private inventories component of GDP. The BEA 
also uses the Advance Economic Indicators Report to improve the 
inventory valuation adjustments applied to estimates of the Advance 
Gross Domestic Product. Sales are used to prepare estimates of real 
inventories-to-sales ratios in the NIPAs, extrapolate proprietors' 
income for wholesalers (until tax return data become available) in the 
NIPAs, and extrapolate annual current-dollar gross output for the most 
recent year in annual I-O tables, GDP-by-industry, and advance GDP-by-
industry estimates.
    The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses the data as input to its 
Producer Price Indexes and in developing productivity measurements. 
Private businesses use the wholesale sales and inventories data in 
computing business activity indexes. Other government agencies and 
businesses use this information for market research, product 
development, and business planning to gauge the current trends of the 
economy.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Frequency: Monthly.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 131 and 182.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce 
collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov or fax to (202) 395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
PRA Departmental Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-07625 Filed 4-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P

Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 72 / Monday, April 17, 2017 / Notices 18103

database. In particular, the COS Electronic reporting will be available Comments submitted in response to
supplies critical information on the to all 2017–2019 COS respondents. this notice will be summarized and/or
composition, organizational structure, Companies will receive and return included in the request for OMB
and operating characteristics of multi- responses by secure Internet approval of this information collection;
location companies. transmission. The instrument will they also will become a matter of public
The BR serves two fundamental include inquiries on ownership or record.
purposes: control by domestic or foreign parent,
Sheleen Dumas,
—First and most important, it provides ownership of foreign affiliates, leased
sampling populations and employment and cooperative PRA Departmental Lead, Office of the Chief
Information Officer.
enumeration lists for the Census organization. Further, the instrument
[FR Doc. 2017–07624 Filed 4–14–17; 8:45 am]
Bureau’s economic surveys and will list an inventory of establishments
censuses, and it serves as an integral belonging to the company and its BILLING CODE 3510–07–P

part of the statistical foundation subsidiaries, and request updates to
underlying those programs. Essential these inventories, including additions,
for this purpose is the BR’s ability to DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
deletions and changes to information on
identify all known United States EIN, name and address, industrial Census Bureau
business establishments and their classification, end-of-year operating
parent companies. Further, the BR status, mid-March employment, first Submission for OMB Review;
must accurately record basic business quarter payroll and annual payroll. Comment Request
attributes needed to control sampling Beginning with the 2017 collection, a
and enumeration. These attributes new question regarding cooperative The Department of Commerce will
include industrial and geographic organization status will be included in submit to the Office of Management and
classifications, and name and address the instrument but respondents will no Budget (OMB) for clearance the
information. longer receive inquiries pertaining to following proposal for collection of
—Second, it provides establishment the Enterprise Statistics Program as the information under the provisions of the
data that serve as the basis for the program has been suspended. Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.
annual County Business Patterns chapter 35).
(CBP) statistical series. The CBP III. Data Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
publications present data on number OMB Control Number: 0607–0444. Title: Monthly Wholesale Trade
of establishments, first quarter Form Number(s): NC–99001 (for Survey.
payroll, annual payroll, and mid- multi-establishment enterprises during OMB Control Number: 0607–0190.
March employment summarized by 2017–2019) and NC–99007 (for single- Form Number(s): SM4217–A,
industry and employment size class location companies during 2018–2019). SM4217–E.
for the United States, the District of Type of Review: Regular submission. Type of Request: Extension of a
Columbia, island areas, counties, and Affected Public: Businesses and not- currently approved collection.
country-equivalents. No other annual for-profit institutions. Number of Respondents: 4,200.
or more frequent series of industry Estimated Number of Respondents: Average Hours per Response: 7
statistics provides comparable detail, 164,000 for 2017 and 47,000 per year for minutes.
particularly for small geographic 2018–2019. Burden Hours: 5,880.
areas. Estimated Time per Response: 0.44 Needs and Uses: The Monthly
hours for 2017 and 3.4 hours for 2018– Wholesale Trade Survey (MWTS)
II. Method of Collection canvasses firms primarily engaged in
2019.
The 2017–2019 COS collection Estimated Total Annual Burden merchant wholesale trade that are
strategy will focus on electronic Hours: 72,160 hours for 2017 and located in the United States, excluding
reporting as the standard collection 159,800 hours for 2018–2019. manufacturers’ sales branches and
option. The Census Bureau will conduct Estimated Total Annual Cost to offices (MSBOs). This survey provides
the 2017 COS in conjunction with the Public: $0. the only continuous measure of monthly
2017 Economic Census and will Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. wholesale sales, end-of-month
coordinate these collections to minimize Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. inventories, and inventories-to-sales
response burden. The consolidated Sections 131 and 182. ratios. The sales and inventories
COS/census mail canvass will direct estimates produced from the MWTS
IV. Request for Comments provide current trends of economic
inquiries to the entire universe of multi-
location enterprises that comprises Comments are invited on: (a) Whether activity by kind of business for the
roughly 164,000 parent companies and the proposed collection of information United States. Also, the estimates
more than 1.6 million establishments. is necessary for the proper performance compiled from this survey provide
Additional COS inquiries will apply to of the functions of the agency, including valuable information for economic
the 15,000 multi-unit establishments whether the information shall have policy decisions by the government and
classified in industries that are out-of- practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the are widely used by private businesses,
scope of the economic census. agency’s estimate of the burden trade organizations, professional
The 2018–2019 COS will request (including hours and cost) of the associations, and other business
company-level information from a proposed collection of information; (c) research and analysis organizations.
selection of multi-establishment ways to enhance the quality, utility, and Estimates from the MWTS are
mstockstill on DSK30JT082PROD with NOTICES

enterprises, which comprise roughly clarity of the information to be released in three different reports each
42,000 parent companies and more than collected; and (d) ways to minimize the month. High level aggregate estimates
1.4 million establishments. burden of the collection of information for end-of-month inventories are first
Additionally, the panel will include on respondents, including through the released as part of the Advance
approximately 5,000 large single- use of automated collection techniques Economic Indicators Report. Second,
location companies that may have or other forms of information the full Monthly Wholesale Trade
added locations during the year. technology. Report containing both sales and

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Document Created: 2018-08-25 11:26:51
Document Modified: 2018-08-25 11:26:51

Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
FR Citation		82 FR 18103

82 FR 18103 - Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCECensus Bureau

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 72 (April 17, 2017)

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau