4. Exports and imports of goods and services 4.61. International goods and services transactions of
foreign affiliates is another basic indicator relevant to
FATS. Both balance of payments data and data
provided by parent enterprises and affiliates in separate
questionnaires may be appropriate sources for such
information. To a large extent, the possibilities for
disaggregating total exports and total imports may
depend on the sources used to obtain the data.
4.62. Where the data are obtained through linkages
with primary data sources for balance of payments
transactions, breakdowns by product and by origin or
destination will often be possible. In this event, exports
and imports of services may be disaggregated, not only
by the primary activity of the affiliate according to ICFA
but also by product on a basis compatible with the
EBOPS.
4.63. Although linkages with balance of payments data
may thus provide useful information, it often will be
difficult or impossible to separately identify the
transactions of foreign-owned firms in those data. Thus,
it may be possible to develop the data on exports and
imports only through the use of separate questionnaires.
In that event, those same breakdowns would be useful,
but it is unlikely that a large number of countries would
be able to collect the necessary data with the same
frequency or in the same detail as provided by balance
of payments data. However, it may be possible to
disaggregate exports and imports into a few broad
categories in which trade with related enterprises would
be distinguished from trade with unrelated parties, thus
providing information for one of the last of the elements
for a phased approach to implementation of the
Manual.
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In addition, trade with the country of the
parent enterprise could be distinguished from trade with
other countries. If possible, those breakdowns should be
obtained separately for goods and services. For inward
FATS, for example, that would mean disaggregating the
affiliate’s exports of goods and exports of services into
(a) exports to the parent enterprise, (b) other exports to
the country of the parent, and (c) exports to third
countries. Imports would be similarly disaggregated.