BPI Comments on BEA’s Benchmark Survey on Operations of US Operations of Foreign Affiliates

BPI Comments on BEA’s Benchmark Survey on Operations of US Operations of Foreign Affiliates

On October 7, BPI submitted a comment letter to the Bureau of Economic Analysis regarding proposed changes to the 2019 BE-10, Benchmark Survey of U.S. Direct Investment Abroad. The BE-10, Benchmark Survey is a mandatory survey conducted once every five years by the BEA to secure current economic data on the operations of U.S. parent companies and their foreign affiliates. All U.S. persons that own, either directly or indirectly, 10 percent or more of the voting securities of an incorporated foreign business enterprise or an equivalent interest in an unincorporated foreign business enterprise are required to complete the survey. BPI’s letter encourages the BEA to provide a number of clarifications of proposed changes and added questions, specifically those related to sales of selected services recognized as “prevalent in the digital economy.”