Fee Rate Advisory #8 for Fiscal Year 2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2003-4

Washington, D.C., January 10, 2003 -- The continuing resolution funding the Securities and Exchange Commission for fiscal 2003 since October 1, 2002 has been extended through January 31, 2003. Therefore, the Section 6(b) fee rate applicable to the registration of securities, the Section 13(e) fee rate applicable to the repurchase of securities, and the Section 14(g) fee rates applicable to proxy solicitations and information statements in corporate control transactions will remain at the current rate of $92.00 per million. The Section 6(b) rate is also the rate used to calculate the fees payable with the Annual Notice of Securities Sold Pursuant to Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Five days after enactment of the Commission's regular appropriation, the fee rates for Section 6(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Sections 13(e) and 14(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 will be reduced from $92.00 per million to $80.90 per million as previously announced.

In addition, the Section 31 fee rate applicable to securities transactions on the exchanges and NASDAQ also will remain at the current rate of $30.10 per million. Thirty days after enactment of the Commission's regular appropriation, the fee rate for Exchange Act Section 31 transactions will be reduced to $25.20 per million as previously announced.

The delayed effective dates for the fee rate reductions are statutory requirements over which the Commission has no discretion.

The Commission will issue further notices as appropriate to keep the public informed of developments relating to enactment of the Commission's regular appropriation and the effective dates for the above fee rate changes. These notices will be posted at the SEC's Internet Web site at http://www.sec.gov.