[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 21 (Monday, February 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 5504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01827]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


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: Annual Retail Trade Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0013.
    Form Number(s): SA-44, SA-44A, SA-44C, SA-44E, SA-44N, SA-44S, SA-
45, SA-45C, SA-721A, SA-721B, SA-721E, SA-721F, SA-722A, and SA-722E.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change, of an expired 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 20,557.
    Average Hours per Response: 29.3 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 11,426.
    Needs and Uses: The Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS) covers 
employer firms with establishments located in the United States and 
classified in retail trade and/or accommodation and food services 
sector as defined by the North American Industry Classification System 
(NAICS). The survey requests firms to provide annual sales, sales tax, 
e-commerce sales, year-end inventories held inside and outside the 
United States, total operating expenses, purchases, and accounts 
receivable. We also request, for selected industries, sales and e-
commerce sales by merchandise line.
    The data collected in the annual retail survey provide a current 
statistical picture of the retail and food services and accommodations 
portions of consumer activity. These data are collected to provide a 
sound statistical basis for the formation of policy by various 
government agencies, as well as to serve as a benchmark for the 
estimates compiled from the Monthly Retail Trade Report [OMB No. 0607-
0717]. Results will be made available, at the United States summary 
level, for selected retail trade, accommodation and food services 
industries approximately fifteen months after the end of the reference 
year.
    Every 5 years, ARTS requests data on detailed operating expenses. 
During the next three years, detailed operating expenses will not be 
collected. The last time ARTS collected detailed operating expenses was 
in 2013 for the 2012 survey year. The plan is to reinstate these 
questions in 2018 as part of the 2017 ARTS data collection. Estimates 
are published based on the North American Industry Classification 
System (NAICS), which has been widely adopted throughout both the 
public and private sectors.
    The fourteen forms in this collection enable us to collect 
information on a NAICS basis and to request similar data items. 
Varieties of forms are needed to address the size of the firm, kind-of-
business, or data items requested.
    The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) uses the data to estimate the 
change in private inventories component of gross domestic product (GDP) 
and output in both the benchmark and annual input-output (I-O) accounts 
and GDP by industry. Data on sales taxes are also used to prepare 
estimates of GDP by industry and to derive industry output for the I-O 
accounts. Data on detailed operating expenses, are collected on this 
survey quinquennially and used to produce national estimates of value 
added, gross output, and intermediate inputs and serve as a benchmark 
for the annual industry accounts, which provide the control totals for 
the GDP-by-state accounts.
    The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses the data as input to its 
Producer Price Indexes and in developing productivity measurements. The 
Federal Reserve Board uses the accounts receivables balances to measure 
consumer credit. Private businesses use the estimates in computing 
business activity indexes.
    Other government agencies and businesses use the data to satisfy a 
variety of public and business needs such as economic market analysis, 
company performance, and forecasting future demands.
    The use of the Census Bureau's online reporting system, Centurion, 
allows respondents to report data, at their convenience, via the 
Internet. The system is designed to be secure and flexible for users. 
It allows respondents to complete and file in one session or to save 
and return over any number of sessions. The site also allows 
respondents to print copies of their completed form(s) for their 
records. The use of Internet reporting has proven popular, and has 
become a preferred method of filing reports by respondents.
    In an effort to move the ARTS towards a paperless collection 
strategy, we undertook an ``Internet push'' initiative beginning with 
the 2013 survey year (mailed in February 2014) in which our initial 
mailing contained a letter and flyer that provided instructions on how 
to report data and receive help online, and did not include a paper 
questionnaire. This strategy aims to eliminate paper forms in the 
initial and follow-up mailings, and attempts to encourage respondents 
to report online.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 182, 224, 
and 225.
    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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#216e6873607e7254434c485252484e4f614e4c430f444e510f464e57"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="da9593889b8589afb8b7b3a9a9b3b5b49ab5b7b8f4bfb5aaf4bdb5ac">[email protected]</span></a> or fax to (202)395-5806.

    Dated: January 27, 2015.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-01827 Filed 1-30-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P


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