FR Doc E8-17531[Federal Register: July 31, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 148)]
[Notices]
[Page 44707-44709]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31jy08-30]
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COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
Fees for Reviews of the Rule Enforcement Programs of Contract
Markets and Registered Futures Associations
AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
ACTION: Establish the FY 2008 schedule of fees.
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SUMMARY: The Commission charges fees to designated contract markets and
registered futures associations to recover the costs incurred by the
Commission in the operation of its program of oversight of self-
regulatory organization (SRO) rule enforcement programs (17 CFR part 1
Appendix B) (National Futures Association (NFA), a registered futures
association, and the contract markets are referred to as SROs). The
calculation of the fee amounts to be charged for FY 2008 is based upon
an average of actual program costs incurred during FY 2005, 2006, and
2007, as explained below. The FY 2008 fee schedule is set forth in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. Electronic payment of fees is required.
DATES: Effective Date: The FY 2008 fees for Commission oversight of
each SRO rule enforcement program must be paid by each of the named
SROs in the amount specified by no later than September 29, 2008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacy Dean Yochum, Deputy Executive
Director, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, (202) 418-5157, Three
Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581. For
information on electronic payment, contact Angela Clark, Three
Lafayette Centre, 1155 21st Street, NW., Washington, DC 20581, (202)
418-5178.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General
This notice relates to fees for the Commission's review of the rule
enforcement programs at the registered futures associations \1\ and
designated contract markets (DCM), which are referred to as SROs,
regulated by the Commission.
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\1\ NFA is the only registered futures association.
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II. Schedule of Fees
Fees for the Commission's review of the rule enforcement programs
at the registered futures associations and DCMs regulated by the
Commission:
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Entity Fee amount
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Chicago Board of Trade..................................... $146,077
[[Page 44708]]
Chicago Mercantile Exchange................................ 124,734
New York Mercantile Exchange............................... 144,893
Kansas City Board of Trade................................. 11,119
New York Board of Trade.................................... 37,662
Minneapolis Grain Exchange................................. 28,181
HedgeStreet................................................ 10,194
Chicago Climate Futures Exchange........................... 8,306
U.S. Futures Exchange...................................... 14,602
OneChicago................................................. 15,836
National Futures Association............................... 450,419
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Total.................................................. 992,022
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III. Background Information
A. General
The Commission recalculates the fees charged each year with the
intention of recovering the costs of operating this Commission
program.\2\ All costs are accounted for by the Commission's Management
Accounting Structure Codes (MASC) system, which records each employee's
time for each pay period. The fees are set each year based on direct
program costs, plus an overhead factor.
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\2\ See Section 237 of the Futures Trading Act of 1982, 7 U.S.C.
16a and 31 U.S.C. 9701. For a broader discussion of the history of
Commission Fees, see 52 FR 46070 (Dec. 4, 1987).
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B. Overhead Rate
The fees charged by the Commission to the SROs are designed to
recover program costs, including direct labor costs and overhead. The
overhead rate is calculated by dividing total Commission-wide overhead
direct program labor costs into the total amount of the Commission-wide
overhead pool. For this purpose, direct program labor costs are the
salary costs of personnel working in all Commission programs. Overhead
costs consist generally of the following Commission-wide costs:
indirect personnel costs (leave and benefits), rent, communications,
contract services, utilities, equipment, and supplies. This formula has
resulted in the following overhead rates for the most recent three
years (rounded to the nearest whole percent): 109 percent for fiscal
year 2005, 109 percent for fiscal year 2006, and 140 percent for fiscal
year 2007. The increase in the overhead rate for FY 2007 is due to
refinement in the agency's reporting capabilities. In past years, the
overhead rate did not accurately reflect the cost of benefits. The
implementation of a new financial system revealed the inaccuracy and
the 2007 overhead rate reflects the correct benefits amount. These
overhead rates are applied to the direct labor costs to calculate the
costs of oversight of SRO rule enforcement programs.
C. Conduct of SRO Rule Enforcement Reviews
Under the formula adopted in 1993 (58 FR 42643, Aug. 11, 1993),
which appears at 17 CFR part 1 Appendix B, the Commission calculates
the fee to recover the costs of its rule enforcement reviews and
examinations, based on the three-year average of the actual cost of
performing such reviews and examinations at each SRO. The cost of
operation of the Commission's SRO oversight program varies from SRO to
SRO, according to the size and complexity of each SRO's program. The
three-year averaging computation method is intended to smooth out year-
to-year variations in cost. Timing of the Commission's reviews and
examinations may affect costs--a review or examination may span two
fiscal years and reviews and examinations are not conducted at each SRO
each year. Adjustments to actual costs may be made to relieve the
burden on an SRO with a disproportionately large share of program
costs.
The Commission's formula provides for a reduction in the assessed
fee if an SRO has a smaller percentage of United States industry
contract volume than its percentage of overall Commission oversight
program costs. This adjustment reduces the costs so that, as a
percentage of total Commission SRO oversight program costs, they are in
line with the pro rata percentage for that SRO of United States
industry-wide contract volume.
The calculation is made as follows: The fee required to be paid to
the Commission by each DCM is equal to the lesser of actual costs based
on the three-year historical average of costs for that DCM or one-half
of average costs incurred by the Commission for each DCM for the most
recent three years, plus a pro rata share (based on average trading
volume for the most recent three years) of the aggregate of average
annual costs of all DCMs for the most recent three years. The formula
for calculating the second factor is: 0.5a + 0.5 vt = current fee. In
this formula, ``a'' equals the average annual costs, ``v'' equals the
percentage of total volume across DCMs over the last three years, and
``t'' equals the average annual costs for all DCMs. NFA has no
contracts traded; hence, its fee is based simply on costs for the most
recent three fiscal years.
This table summarizes the data used in the calculations and the
resulting fee for each entity:
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2008 Fee
3-year (lesser of
average actual 3-year % of actual or
costs volume calculated
fee)
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Chicago Board of Trade.......................................... $146,077 32.4504 $146,077
Chicago Mercantile Exchange..................................... 124,734 54.5543 124,734
New York Mercantile Exchange.................................... 213,577 10.5981 144,893
Kansas City Board of Trade...................................... 20,918 0.1834 11,119
New York Board of Trade......................................... 62,615 1.7674 37,662
Minneapolis Grain Exchange...................................... 55,903 0.0637 28,181
HedgeStreet..................................................... 20,293 0.0132 10,194
Chicago Climate Futures Exchange................................ 16,594 0.0026 8,306
US Futures Exchange............................................. 28,692 0.0711 14,602
OneChicago...................................................... 29,684 0.2764 15,836
Subtotal.................................................... 719,088 .............. 541,603
National Futures Association.................................... 450,419 .............. 450,419
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Total....................................................... 1,169,507 .............. 992,022
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An example of how the fee is calculated for one exchange, the
Minneapolis Grain Exchange, is set forth here:
a. Actual three-year average costs equal $55,903.
[[Page 44709]]
b. The alternative computation is: (.5) ($55,903) + (.5) (.000637)
($719,088) = $28,181.
c. The fee is the lesser of a or b; in this case $28,181.
As noted above, the alternative calculation based on contracts
traded is not applicable to NFA because it is not a DCM and has no
contracts traded. The Commission's average annual cost for conducting
oversight review of the NFA rule enforcement program during fiscal
years 2005 through 2007 was $450,419 (one-third of $1,351,256). The fee
to be paid by the NFA for the current fiscal year is $450,419.
Payment Method
The Debt Collection Improvement Act (DCIA) requires deposits of
fees owed to the government by electronic transfer of funds (See 31
U.S.C. 3720). For information about electronic payments, please contact
Angela Clark at (202) 418-5178 or [email protected], or see the CFTC Web
site at http://www.cftc.gov, specifically, http://www.cftc.gov/cftc/
cftcelectronicpayments.htm.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
The Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. 601, et seq., requires
agencies to consider the impact of rules on small business. The fees
implemented in this release affect contract markets and registered
futures associations. The Commission has previously determined that
contract markets and registered futures associations are not ``small
entities'' for purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. Accordingly,
the Acting Chairman, on behalf of the Commission, certifies pursuant to
5 U.S.C. 605(b) that the fees implemented here will not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
Issued in Washington, DC, on July 24, 2008, by the Commission.
David Stawick,
Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. E8-17531 Filed 7-30-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6351-01-P
Last Updated: July 31, 2008