Noncomparable Imports

Definition

Noncomparable Imports. Consist of three types of services:

• Services that are produced and consumed abroad, such as airport expenditures by U.S. airlines in foreign countries
• services imports that are unique, such as payments for the rights to patents, copyrights, or industrial processes; and
• services imports that cannot be identified by type, such as payments by U.S. companies to their foreign affiliates for an undefined “basket” of services.

In preparing the I-O accounts, these imports are distributed directly to industries and to final users.