Introduction of digital services in the Balance of Payments

This article outlines recent improvements to digital services estimates in International Trade in Services statistics.

Released
3/12/2024

Executive Summary

This article outlines recent improvements to digital services estimates in International Trade in Services statistics. These have been included for the first time in the September quarter, 2024 Balance of Payments and International Investment Position publication and also flow through to the National Accounts estimates on Total Intermediate Use (TIU), Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), and Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE). 

  • The measurement of digital services is challenging and has been a long-standing measurement gap within the ABS’ International Trade in Services and Balance of Payments statistics.
  • The ABS have recently improved the measurement of digital services targeting the most significant Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) providing digital services. New estimates have been developed using administrative data from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to estimate the imports and exports of these services. 
  • The inclusion of the new digital services estimates has led to revisions to both imports and exports of services from the period September quarter 2009-10 and subsequently impact Australia’s Current Account balance. This is particularly the case from the 2016-17 financial year onwards when the imports (debits) of these digital services increased significantly. 
  • With the inclusion of the new estimates, the value of digital services imported over the period 2009-10 to 2023-24 was $87 billion and accounted for 17% of the total Other services import value during that time. The annual value of digital services imported has increased from $119 million in 2009-10 to $18.5 billion in 2023-24, representing a 158 fold increase in value of this period. 
  • There has been a smaller impact to exports. The value of digital services exported over the period 2009-10 to 2023-24 was $5 billion, and accounted for only 1% of the total Other services export value during that time. 
  • The estimates of digital services have been allocated to the existing Extended Balance of Payments Services Classification 2010 (EBOPS) used within International Trade in Services statistics.

Background

In the past decade or so, there has been a substantial increase in digital services being offered and consumed in Australia, including audiovisual streaming services, advertising services and computer software. 

These services are often provided to Australians by non-resident MNEs that operate across various countries. These MNEs have complex corporate structures which make it difficult to assess the creation, production, and consumption of these services.  

These MNEs have utilised the rapid advancement of technology as well as various corporate structures, including favourable tax arrangements existing in different jurisdictions, to deliver these services globally without establishing a significant physical presence in the country where the services are delivered.  

The measurement of these digital services in both National and International Accounts is challenging and has been a long-standing measurement gap (e.g., across Imports of Services, Household Consumption and Intermediate Use).  

This is partly because of difficulties with businesses correctly reporting these services on the Survey of International Trade in Services (i.e. often they are not aware they are transacting directly with a non-resident entity) and partly because of a lack of available data on these services, particularly when consumed directly by households. 

More recently, the Australian Tax Office (ATO) implemented a range of compliance measures to ensure that MNEs are paying their share of taxes when operating in Australia considering new laws and amendments. 

As a result, the Multinational Anti-Avoidance Law (MAAL), the Diverted Profits Tax (DPT), and the application of GST to digital services and products (‘Netflix Tax’), were all introduced around 2016-2017 and imposed high tax rates on companies deemed to be shifting profits to other jurisdictions with lower tax rates than Australia.  The change in the tax laws led to many digital service companies subsequently changing their corporate structures and business models. 

This led to noticeable shifts in key survey aggregates and prompted the ABS to think about how to apply our statistical frameworks and concepts of residency, economic production, and ownership in the National and International accounts.  

Conceptual principles

The measurement of digital services has been produced based on the conceptual principles in the System of National Accounts 2008 (SNA 2008) and the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual 6th edition (BPM6). 

The provision of services by MNEs to Australian customers can be undertaken in a multitude of ways and utilises complex corporate structures. For Australia, it is generally the case that the intellectual property (which underpins the production of digital services) is produced and held overseas by the parent entity and the services are then delivered by establishing local entities to administer and distribute the service. 

In applying the principles in the SNA and BPM, consideration was given to a range of conceptual issues:

  • Does the local entity meet the definition of an institutional unit and is it considered to be a resident of Australia?
  • Which unit within the MNEs corporate structure has economic ownership of the intellectual property that underpins the production of these digital services?
  • What service is being produced by the local unit?

Depending on how the individual MNEs are structured there are 3 possible scenarios for recording the flows related to the provision of these digital services. These are:

  • Scenario 1 - Local entity produces Administrative and support service 
  • Scenario 2 - Local entity produces commission or intermediation service
  • Scenario 3 - Local entity produces streaming/publishing service. 

Extended Balance of Payments Services (EBOPS) categories

Estimates of International Trade in Services are classified based on the Extended Balance of Payments Services Classification 2010 (EBOPS). The new digital services have been classified to existing EBOPS categories and are outlined in Table 1. 

These EBOPS are combined with a selection of other EBOP categories and aggregated as Other services in the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position publication.

 

Table 1. EBOPs containing digital services
Debits Credits
8.1.1 (Licenses to produce and/or distribute computer software services)10.2.1.4 (Other professional services)
10.2.2 (Advertising, market research and public opinion polling)10.3.4 (Trade-related commission services)
11.1.2 (Audiovisual services n.i.e)11.1.1.5 (Other film, TV and multimedia royalties) 

Methodology

Producing current price estimates

The initial step in compiling digital services estimates was to identify companies that are engaged in the provision of digital services, with the focus on the most significant units. The products covered by companies included in these initial estimates relate to the provision of streaming services, software licenses and advertising services.

Each company was then analysed and classified to one of the scenarios based on the conceptual framework outline. Most companies delivering digital services to Australia fall under scenarios 1 and 2, noting that the intellectual property is produced, and ownership reside overseas.

For in-scope units, Business Activity Statement (BAS) data is the primary data source for units with a registered Australian Business Number (ABN). Based on the nature of the ATO data and the type of business activity conducted, the estimation and modelling techniques have been tailored individually to each organisation and type of service.

When BAS data was not suitable for use, alternative data sources were used. See Table 2 for the key data sources used to produce new digital services estimates. 

Table 2. Data sources
Dataset Source Data items used 
Business Activity Statement (BAS) Australian Taxation Office Total sales, GST-free sales, and GST payable data 
Simplified GST registration Australian Taxation Office GST payable 
Financial Statements and reports Australian Securities and Investment Commission Individual company financial reports  
Survey of International Trade in Services  Australian Bureau of Statistics Imports and Exports of trade in services for relevant service categories. 
Consumer Price Index (CPI) Australian Bureau of Statistics CPI Pay TV Sub-Expenditure Class 
Producer Price Index (PPI)  Australian Bureau of Statistics PPI Output of class 6940 Advertising services and PPI Output of Group 542 Software publishing 

Producing chain volume estimates

Once the current price estimates have been produced, chain volume estimates are compiled using price deflation. The Trade in Services price deflators have been reviewed to ensure that the most relevant CPI or PPI available is applied for each of the categories of digital services.

Applying seasonal adjustment

With the introduction of the new data sources and methodology for measuring digital services, the seasonal series were also reviewed to ensure seasonal adjustment treatments are fit for purpose and appropriately adjust for the seasonality of digital service imports and exports. 

Impact on International Accounts

The inclusion of the new digital services primarily increased the level of imports across a number of Extended Balance of Payments Services (EBOPS) categories.

Impact on services imports (debits) series, current price

Graphs 1, 2 and 3 show the impact of the introduction of the digital services on existing EBOPS for import categories. 

Revisions to the original series start from 2009-10 financial year. Imports of these EBOPS increased $87 billion over the time period. The value of digital services imports over the period 2009-10 to 2023-24 was $87 billion. Whilst the introduction of digital services had the largest revisions in Advertising, market research and public opinion polling, there was stronger growth in Licenses to reproduce and/or distribute computer software services during this period. 

Imports of digital services accounted for 17% of Other services over the period 2009-10 to 2023-24. The growth rate has been increasing steadily, initially accounting for only 1% of Other services in 2009-10, and rising to 29% in 2023-24. 

Impact on services exports (credits) series, current price

Graphs 4, 5 and 6 show the impact of digital services on existing EBOPS for export categories, with steady increases seen from March quarter 2018 onwards. From 2009-10 to 2023-24 digital services added $5 billion to the Other services series. The introduction of digital services had the largest revisions in Trade-related commission services.

There were smaller revisions to the exports of services, contributing only 1% to the Other services series from 2009-10 to 2023-24, noting the production of digital services has not been a significant activity for Australia.

Impact on Current Account

The larger impacts to imports have resulted in a downward revision to Australia’s Current Account balance, decreasing steadily from September quarter 2015. 

Impact on National Accounts

The revisions to imports and exports through the International Accounts were also reflected in the National Accounts, impacting Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), Total Intermediate Use (TIU) and Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE). 

The Australian System of National Accounts 2023-24 financial year publication includes the new digital services estimates (Table 43, External Accounts, Current prices) and preceded the inclusion of digital services estimates in the September quarter, 2024 Balance of Payments and International Investment Position publication. 

Post release changes

04/12/2024: The axis labels on graphs and tables have been updated. 

Footnotes

  1. These are the quarterly imports of combined EBOPS 8.1.1 (Licenses to produce and/or distribute computer software services), 10.2.2 (Advertising, market research and public opinion polling), 11.1.2 (Audiovisual services n.i.e) and also include small revisions for 2023-24 outside of digital services.
  2. These include small revisions for 2023-24 outside of digital services.
  3. These are the quarterly exports of combined EBOPS 10.2.1.4 (Other professional services), 10.3.4 (Trade-related commission services), 11.1.1.5 (Other film, TV and multimedia royalties) and also includes small revisions for 2023-24 outside of digital services. 
  4. These includes small revision in 2023-24 outside of the digital services and excludes digital services data already captured through the Survey of International Trade in Services (SITS) between 2009-10 and 2022-23. 
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