Transcript Chapter 6
Chapter 6 Market Efficiency and Government Intervention Figure 6.4 The Effect of a Per-Unit Tax on Laptop Sales Application: Taxes and Competitive Equilibrium • Three pieces of the tax increase Incidence of a tax on consumers: • Increases price that consumers pay Incidence of a tax on producers: • Decreases price producers receive Deadweight loss: • Losses in consumer and producer surplus that are not transferred to the government as revenue Figure 6.4 The Effect of a Per-Unit Tax on Laptop Sales Incidence on consumers Incidence on producers Deadweight Loss Elasticity and Tax Incidence • Why isn’t the entire tax passed on to consumers? • Incidence of a tax will be determined by the elasticities of demand and supply. Guide to who pays more • Ed > Es producer bears most of the tax burden • Ed < Es consumer bears most of the tax burden • Ed = Es equally share the tax burden Can you draw who pays more of the tax?? • Perfectly inelastic demand • Perfectly elastic supply • Demand more elastic than supply • Supply more elastic than demand Can we do it? (number 8) • Suppose the demand for laptops is a horizontal line at $1200, indicating that consumers will purchase zero units at any price above $1200. Use a graph to show the effect of a $100 per-laptop tax on producers. Self test… Who pays more • If demand is inelastic Consumers pay more • If demand is elastic Producers pay more • If supply is inelastic Producers pay more • If supply is elastic Consumers pay more • As demand or supply elasticity increases, the deadweight loss increases. Theory in Action… • http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070215/ap_on_re_us/smokers__ money_1;_ylt=AotIC78uRu8XEm7DcrPJvKGQ1EMF Drop in Smoking Means Less Tax Revenue Applied Topics: Changes in versus changes in quantity demanded and demand, price elasticity of demand • The article examines decreasing tobacco tax revenues. • Questions: • In the short run, does the demand for cigarettes appear to be price elastic or inelastic? Explain. • The article notes that, over the long run, federal tax revenues from tobacco products have decreased and despite increases in tobacco taxes in most states, these tax revenues have either decreased or are expected to decrease at the state level. Explain, using the supply and demand model, why this is happening. Price Floors, Price Ceilings, and Quotas • Three other tools the government uses to alter market outcomes: Price Floors Price Ceilings Quotas • reduce efficiency in markets. Price Floor • Government mandated minimum price below which legal trades cannot be made • Price floor is above equilibrium price Impacts of Price Floors • Sustained surpluses • Fewer exchanges Minimum wage and agricultural subsidies Price Floors in Labor Markets • The minimum wage results in: Increased wages for workers who can get minimum wage jobs A reduction in employment A surplus of labor (unemployment) Deadweight loss Pros and Cons of the Minimum Wage • Pro: The minimum wage helps pull some workers out of poverty. • Cons: The minimum wage could lead to: • Reduced hours for workers • Poor working conditions • Less worker training It mainly effects teenagers, not families living in poverty.