/*! This file is auto-generated */ .wp-block-button__link{color:#fff;background-color:#32373c;border-radius:9999px;box-shadow:none;text-decoration:none;padding:calc(.667em + 2px) calc(1.333em + 2px);font-size:1.125em}.wp-block-file__button{background:#32373c;color:#fff;text-decoration:none} Q15.  In 2011, Americans smoked 16 b... [FREE SOLUTION] | 91Ó°ÊÓ

91Ó°ÊÓ

In 2011, Americans smoked 16 billion packs of cigarettes. They paid an average retail price of \(5.00 per pack.

a. Given that the elasticity of supply is 0.5 and the elasticity of demand is -0.4, derive linear demand and supply curves for cigarettes.

b. Cigarettes are subject to a federal tax, which was about \)1.00 per pack in 2011. What does this tax do to the market-clearing price and quantity?

c. How much of the federal tax will consumers pay? What part will producers pay?

Short Answer

Expert verified
  1. The linear demand curve is (Q = 22.4 – 1.28P) and supply curve is (Q = 8 + 1.6P).

  2. The market-clearing price will increase and the quantity will decrease.

  3. The consumers will pay 45 percent of the tax and the producers will pay 55 percent of the tax.

Step by step solution

01

Step 1. Deriving the linear demand and supply curves.

  • Demand equation

The elasticity of demand is given by:

Ed=-bP*Q*

, where P* is the equilibrium price, Q* is the equilibrium quantity and ‘b’ represents the change in quantity demanded by the change in price.

The value of ‘b’ is calculated by putting the values of Ed , P*, and Q*.

-0.4=-b516-5b=6.4b=6.45=1.28

The demand equation is given by: Q = a –b*P,

The value of ‘a’ is determined by putting the values of Q, P, and ‘b’.

The demand equation for cigarettes is shown below by putting the values of Q, ‘a’, ‘b’ and P in the demand equation.

Demand: Q = 22.4 -1.28P

  • Supply equation

The elasticity of supply is given by:

ES=-dP*Q*, where P* is equilibrium price, Q* is equilibrium quantity and ‘d’ represents the change in quantity supplied by change in price.

The value of ‘d’ is calculated by putting the values of Es, P* and Q*.

0.5=d5165d=8d=85=1.6

The supply equation is given by: Q = c + dP

The value of ‘c’ is determined by putting the values of Q, P and ‘d’.

Q=c+dP16=c+1.65c=16-8c=8

The supply equation for cigarettes is shown below by putting the values of Q, ‘c’, ‘d’ and P in the supply equation.

The supply equation is given by: Q = 8 + 1.6P.

02

Step 2. Impact of tax on equilibrium quantity and price.

The taxation of $1 will raise the cost of producing of cigarettes. The increased production cost will discourage producers, resulting in a decrease in the supplied quantity. Hence, the supply curve will shift leftward causing a new equilibrium point on demand curve.

The leftward shift in the supply curve would increase the price level and decrease the quantity produced in the market.

These changes in equilibrium position must have been included in the taxed price of cigarettes. Thus, it concludes that the taxation has caused the price to rise and quantity to decline.

The demand equation for cigarettes is shown below by putting the values of Q, ‘a’, ‘b’ and P in the demand equation.

Demand: Q = 22.4 -1.28P

  • Supply equation

The elasticity of supply is given by:

, where P* is equilibrium price, Q* is equilibrium quantity and ‘d’ represents the change in quantity supplied by change in price.

The value of ‘d’ is calculated by putting the values of Es, P* and Q*.

The supply equation is given by: Q = c + dP

The value of ‘c’ is determined by putting the values of Q, P and ‘d’.

The supply equation for cigarettes is shown below by putting the values of Q, ‘c’, ‘d’ and P in the supply equation.

The supply equation is given by: Q = 8 + 1.6P.

03

Step 3. Calculating the part tax paid by consumers and producers.

The federal tax of $1 will increase the price level of cigarettes by $1. The new price will be $6.

The part of tax paid by producers: The increase in tax has caused a leftward shift in the supply curve. The supply curve equation will change. The new supply curve equation will be:


Q=8+1.6P-1=8+1.6P-1.6=6.4-1.6P

With the help of new supply equation, onc can find the price that the producer should at the new supply equation. The price that producer should receive:

Demand=NewSupply22.4-1.28=6.4-1.62.88P=16P=5.55

The producer should get $5.55 of after the increase in costs due to the tax, but it is receiving only $5 (6 -1). The extra $0.55 is taken by the government as a tax revenue from producers side. Hence, the producers are paying 55 percent of the tax (0.55×100).

The part of tax paid by consumers:Since producers are paying 55 percent of the tax, the consumers will be paying the remaining percent of federal tax. Thus, the consumers will pay 45 percent (100 – 55) of the tax.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with 91Ó°ÊÓ!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Suppose the market for widgets can be described by the following equations:

Demand: P = 10 - Q

Supply: P = Q – 4

where P is the price in dollars per unit and Q is the quantity in thousands of units. Then:

a. What is the equilibrium price and quantity?

b. Suppose the government imposes a tax of \(1 per unit to reduce widget consumption and raise government revenues. What will the new equilibrium quantity be? What price will the buyer pay? Whatamount per unit will the seller receive?

c. Suppose the government has a change of heart about the importance of widgets to the happiness of the American public. The tax is removed and a subsidy of \)1 per unit is granted to widget producers. What will the equilibrium quantity be? What price will the buyer pay? What amount per unit (including the subsidy) will the seller receive? What will be the total cost to the government?

In Exercise 4 in Chapter 2 (page 84), we examined a vegetable fiber traded in a competitive world market and imported into the United States at a world price of \(9 per pound. U.S. domestic supply and demand for various price levels are shown in the following table.

Price

U.S. Supply (Million Pounds)

U.S. Demand (Million Pounds)

3

2

34

6

4

28

9

6

22

12

8

16

15

10

10

18

12

4

Answer the following questions about the U.S. market:

a. Confirm that the demand curve is given by QD = 40 - 2P, and that the supply curve is given by QS = 2/3P.

b. Confirm that if there were no restrictions on trade, the United States would import 16 million pounds.

c. If the United States imposes a tariff of \)3 per pound, what will be the U.S. price and level of imports? How much revenue will the government earn from the tariff? How large is the deadweight loss?

d. If the United States has no tariff but imposes an import quota of 8 million pounds, what will be the U.S. domestic price? What is the cost of this quota for U.S. consumers of fiber? What is the gain for U.S. producers?

Japanese rice producers have extremely high production costs, due in part to the high opportunity cost of land and to their inability to take advantage of economies of large-scale production. Analyze two policies intended to maintain Japanese rice production:

(1) a per-pound subsidy to farmers for each pound of rice produced, or

(2) a per-pound tariff on imported rice.

Illustrate with supply-and-demand diagrams the equilibrium price and quantity, domestic rice production, government revenue or deficit, and deadweight loss from each policy. Which policy is the Japanese government likely to prefer? Which policy is Japanese farmers likely to prefer?

A particular metal is traded in a highly competitive world market at a world price of \(9 per ounce.

Unlimited quantities are available for import into the United States at this price. The supply of this metal from domestic U.S. mines and mills can be represented by the equation QS = 2/3P, where QS is U.S. output in million ounces and P is the domestic price.

The demand for the metal in the United States is QD = 40 - 2P, where QD is the domestic demand in million ounces.

In recent years the U.S. industry has been protected by a tariff of \)9 per ounce. Under pressure from other foreign governments, the United States plans to reduce this tariff to zero. Threatened by this change, the U.S. industry is seeking a voluntary restraint agreement that would limit imports into the United States to 8 million ounces per year.

a. Under the $9 tariff, what was the U.S. domestic price of the metal?

b. If the United States eliminates the tariff and the voluntary restraint agreement is approved, what will be the U.S. domestic price of the metal?

In Example 9.1 (page 332), we calculated the gains and losses from price controls on natural gas and found that there was a deadweight loss of \(5.68 billion. This calculation was based on a price of oil of \)50 per barrel.

a. If the price of oil were \(60 per barrel, what would be the free-market price of gas? How large a deadweight loss would result if the maximum allowable price of natural gas were \)3.00 per thousand cubic feet?

b. What price of oil would yield a free-market price of natural gas of $3?

See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Economics Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.