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(Transmittal Memorandum No. 1)
MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND ESTABLISHMENTS
SUBJECT: User charges
1. Purpose
2. Rescission
3. Authority
4. Coverage
5. Objectives
6. General Policy
7. Implementation
8. Agency Repsonsibility
9. Disposition of Collections
10. New Activities
11. Inquiries
1. Purpose: The Circular establishes Federal policy regarding fees assessed for Government services and for sale or use of Government goods or resources. It provides information on the scope and types of activities subject to user charges and on the basis upon which user charges are to be set. Finally, it provides guidance for agency implementation of charges and the disposition of collections.
2. Rescission: This rescinds Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-25, dated September 23, 1959, and Transmittal Memoranda 1 and 2.
3. Authority: Title V of the Independent Offices Appropriations Act of 1952 (31 U.S.C. 9701); 31 U.S.C. 1111; and Executive Orders No. 8248 and No. 11,541.
a. The provisions of this Circular cover all Federal activities that convey special benefits to recipients beyond those accruing to the general public. The Circular does not apply to the activities of the legislative and judicial branches of Government, or to mixed-ownership Government corporations, as defined in 31 U.S.C. 9701.
b. The provisions of the Circular shall be applied by agencies in their assessment of user charges under the IOAA. In addition, this Circular provides guidance to agencies regarding their assessment of user charges under other statutes. This guidance is intended to be applied only to the extent permitted by law. Thus, where a statute prohibits the assessment of a user charge on a service or addresses an aspect of the user charge (e.g., who pays the charge; how much is the charge; where collections are deposited), the statute shall take precedence over the Circular. In such cases (e.g., sale or disposal under Federal surplus property statutes; or fringe benefits for military personnel and civilian employees), the guidance provided by the Circular would apply to the extent that it is not inconsistent with the statute. The same analysis would apply with regard to executive orders that address user charges.
c. In any case where an Office of Management and Budget circular provides guidance concerning a specific user charge area, the guidance of that circular shall be deemed to meet the requirements of this Circular. Examples of such guidance include the following: OMB Circular No. A-45, concerning charges for rental quarters; OMB Circular No. A-130, concerning management of Federal information resources; and OMB Circular No. A-97, concerning provision of specialized technical services to State and Local governments.
5. Objectives: It is the objective of the United States Government to:
a. ensure that each service, sale, or use of Government goods or resources provided by an agency to specific recipients be self-sustaining;
b. promote efficient allocation of the Nation's resources by establishing charges for special benefits provided to the recipient that are at least as great as costs to the Government of providing the special benefits; and
c. allow the private sector to compete with the Government without disadvantage in supplying comparable services, resources, or goods where appropriate.
6. General policy: A user charge, as described below, will be assessed against each identifiable recipient for special benefits derived from Federal activities beyond those received by the general public. When the imposition of user charges is prohibited or restricted by existing law, agencies will review activities periodically and recommend legislative changes when appropriate. Section 7 gives guidance on drafting legislation to implement user charges.
a. Special benefits
b. Charges to the direct recipient. Charges will be made to the direct recipient of the special benefit even though all or part of the special benefits may then be passed to others.
c. Exceptions
d. Determining full cost and market price
a. The general policy is that user charges will be instituted through the promulgation of regulations.
b. When there are statutory prohibitions or limitations on charges, legislation to permit charges to be established should be proposed. In general, legislation should seek to remove restraints on user charges and permit their establishment under the guidelines provided in this Circular. When passage of this general authority seems unlikely, more restrictive authority should be sought. The level of charges proposed should be based on the guidelines in Section 6. When necessary, legislation should:
c. Excise taxes are another means of charging specific beneficiaries for the Government services they receive. New user charges should not be proposed in cases where an excise tax currently finances the Government services that benefit specific individuals. Agencies may consider proposing a new excise tax when it would be significantly cheaper to administer than fees, and the burden of the excise tax would rest almost entirely on the user population (e.g., gasoline tax to finance highway construction). Excise taxes cannot be imposed through administrative action but rather require legislation. Legislation should meet the same criteria as in Section 7b; however, it is necessary to state explicitly the rate of the tax. Agency review of these taxes must be performed periodically and new legislation should be proposed, as appropriate, to update the tax based on changes in cost. Any excise tax proposals must be approved by the Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy at the Department of the Treasury.
d. When developing options to institute user charges administratively, agencies should review all sources of statutory authority in addition to the Independent Offices Appropriations Act that may authorize implementation of such charges.
e. In proposing new charges or modifications to existing ones, managers of other programs that provide special benefits to the same or similar user populations should be consulted. Joint legislative proposals should be made, and joint collection efforts designed to ease the burden on the users should be used, whenever possible.
f. Every effort should be made to keep the costs of collection to a minimum. The principles embodied in Circular No. A-76 (Performance of Commercial Activities) should be considered in designing the collection effort.
g. Legislative proposals must be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget in accordance with the requirements of Circular No. A-19. To ensure the proper placement of user fee initiatives in the budget account structure, agencies are encouraged to discuss proposals with OMB at an early stage of development.
8. Agency responsibility: Agencies are responsible for the initiation and adoption of user charge schedules consistent with the policies in this Circular. Each agency will:
a. Identify the services and activities covered by this Circular;
b. Determine the extent of the special benefits provided;
c. Apply the principles specified in Section 6 in determining full cost or market price, as appropriate;
d. Apply the guidance in Section 7 either to institute charges through the promulgation of regulations or submit legislation as appropriate;
e. Review the user charges for agency programs biennially, to include: (1) assurance that existing charges are adjusted to reflect unanticipated changes in costs or market values; and (2) a review of all other agency programs to determine whether fees should be assessed for Government services or the user of Government goods or services. Agencies should discuss the results of the biennial review of user fees and any resultant proposals in the Chief Financial Officers Annual Report required by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990;
f. Ensure that the requirements of OMB Circular No. A- 123 (Internal Control Systems) and appropriate audit standards are applied to collection;
g. Maintain readily accessible records of:
9. Disposition of collections:
a. Unless a statute provides otherwise, user charge collections will be credited to the general fund of the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts, as required by 31 U.S.C. 3302.
b. Legislative proposals to permit the collections to be retained by the agency may be appropriate in certain circumstances. Proposals should meet the guidelines in Section 7b.
Proposals that allow agency retention of collections may be appropriate when a fee is levied in order to finance a service that is intended to be provided on a substantially self-sustaining basis and thus is dependent upon adequate collections.
10. New activities: Whenever agencies prepare legislative proposals for new or expanded Federal activities that would provide special benefits, the policies and criteria set forth in this Circular will apply.
11. Inquiries: For information concerning this Circular, consult the Office of Management and Budget examiner responsible for the agency's budget estimates.