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This rule amends regulations and the survey forms for the BE-12, Benchmark Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in the United States. The benchmark survey covers the universe of foreign direct investment in the United States in terms of value, and is BEA’s most comprehensive survey of such investment.  The purpose of the benchmark survey is to obtain universe data on the financial and operating characteristics of U.S. affiliates and on positions and transactions between U.S. affiliates and their foreign parent groups (which are defined to include all foreign parents and foreign affiliates of foreign parents). These data are needed to measure the size and economic significance of foreign direct investment in the United States, measure changes in such investment, and assess its impact on the U.S. economy.

 This rule amends 15 CFR part 801 by modifying 801.10 to clarify the timing of this benchmark survey. The next BE-12 survey will apply to the 2022 fiscal reporting year, and will be conducted once every five years thereafter, for reporting years ending in 2 and 7.

The changes to the benchmark survey also include the addition, deletion, and modification of specific data items on the survey forms.  In addition, BEA made improvements to question wording, instructions, and formatting to elicit more complete and correct responses and to make the survey more consistent with other BEA surveys.  There will be no change to the reporting thresholds of the survey from the previous benchmark survey in 2017.