General
1. Why should my company fill out this form?
The survey produces sales and e-commerce sales statistics for your segment of the economy. In other words, you can receive important economic information regarding your industry quicker than ever before.
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2. Who uses the data?
- The Bureau of Economic Analysis uses these data for the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates and in developing the national accounts' input-output tables.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics uses these data as input to its Producer Price Indices and in developing productivity measurements.
- Trade and professional organizations use these data to analyze industry trends and benchmark their own statistical programs, develop forecasts, and evaluate regulatory requirements.
- The media use these data for news reports and background information.
- Private businesses use these data to measure market share, analyze business potential, and plan investments.
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3. My firm is no longer in business. What should I do?
Complete the survey with the data for any period of time during the last month that the company was in operation. We also need the date that the company went out of business. If you sold your business, record the following in the Remarks section:
- The name, address and telephone number of the company that purchased it.
- The purchaser's kind of business
- The date of sale
- The contact name at the new company
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4. Why don't you get the information you need from the IRS?
The Census Bureau uses IRS administrative data whenever possible. However, the IRS data does not provide the frequency of detail needed in most Census Bureau monthly surveys. Also, some items are just not available from IRS data, e.g. e-commerce sales.
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5. How do I know that no one else can access the data from your computer?
Data maintained in the Census Bureau's computer system is not accessible to personnel outside the Census Bureau. Our computers cannot be accessed through telephone lines; there is no direct dial-up. In addition, the Bureau's computer area is closed to all personnel except for people with special passes. To access data, individuals must have a Census user identification and a password.
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6. How did you get my Employer Identification Number (EIN)?
We obtain a list of EINs regularly from other government agencies that have this information (for example, the Social Security Administration). We are authorized by law to do this (Section 6103 of Internal Revenue Code). We are authorized only to publish summary statistics that do not identify individual firms. Title 13 also provides that copies of reports retained in your files are immune from legal process. In addition, reported data are exempt from requests made under the Freedom of Information Act.
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