ECN 001A Lecture Notes - Lecture 16: Tax Incidence, Opportunity Cost, Economic Equilibrium

"Shortages, price controls, and queuesDuring the late 1980s and early 1990s, economic reforms initiated  by  Soviet  president  Mikhail  Gorbachev  began  to  raise  consumer  incomes;  however,  the  Soviet  government continued to impose price ceilings on basic goods like food, clothing, and household goods. As higher income led to increased demand, severe shortages of many goods and long lines at all kinds of stores became common. Finally, in January 1992, a new Russian government under president Boris Yeltsin removed retail price controls on most goods. Within a month, prices more than doubled on average, and lines  disappeared.  Analyze  these  events  using  the  supply  and  demand  model.  First  draw  a  supply  and  demand diagram for some normal good such as butter. Show the market in equilibrium at a price of 1 ruble per kilo before the beginning of the Gorbachev reforms. Draw a horizontal line at that level to represent the  price  ceiling;  no  butter  can  be  sold  for  more  than  1  ruble  per  kilo.  Next  show  the  effect  of  rising  income. Does it shift the supply curve? Does it shift the demand curve? What is the shortage or surplus at the controlled price? After the price control ends, assuming no further shift in the supply and demand curve, what happens to the price? What happens to the shortage or surplus?"

1.) An excise tax on a good typically reduces the net price received by the seller. (TRUE/FALSE)

2.) The burden of an excise tax on gasoline falls entirely on consumers of gasoline. (TRUE/FALSE)

3.) Rent controls are one of the few examples of a price floor in market economies. (TRUE/FALSE)

4.) Imposing a price ceiling below the equilibrium price of a good often leads to_____.

A) A greater supply of the good

B) A black market for the good

C) A rightward shift of the supply curve for the good.

D) A leftward shift of the demand curve for the good.

E) All of these

5.) Which of the following is true of price floors and ceilings?

A) Lead to the same price and quantity as in competitive market.

B) Lead to technical efficiency

C) Cause the demand curve to shift left

D) Usually result from government intervention

E) Cause the supply curve to shift right.

6.) Price ceilings often lead to black markets. (TRUE/FALSE)

7.) When minimum wage is above the equilibrium wage what occurs?

A) There will be a shortage of labor

B) There will be no effect on the number of people employed

C) There will be an increase in unemployment rate

D) There will be a decrease in unemployment rate

8.) An excise tax on a good typically reduces the price paid by the consumer (TRUE/FALSE)

9.) If a price ceiling is below the equilibrium price is imposed on a market, it will cause the quantity demanded to rise and the quantity supplied to fall. (TRUE/FALSE)

10.) Price floors often lead to black markets. (TRUE/FALSE)

11.) If an excise tax is imposed on restaurant meals what occurs?

A) Fewer meals will be produced and sold

B) More meals will be produced and sold

C) Market price of the meals will fall

D) Government tax revenue will fall.

Questions 1 and 2 do not need to be answered, they are just there for questions 3 and 4. Only bolded need answered.

1.Graph the following market demand function Q = 300-25P, plotting P (prices) on the vertical axis, and Q (quantity), on the horizontal axis. Next, show how much quantity demanded changes when the price of the good given by this demand function increases from $5 to $7?

2.Consider that the demand curve in part (a) above represents the market demand for a steak burger meal in a local area. This local area has three fast-food restaurants that exclusively produce these meals, and they are owned by Sam, Sony, and Sheila. Their supply curves for a steak burger meal are given as follows:

3.Consider the exercise in Question 2. The government now declares that steak burger meals in that locality should sell for $5.00. Given the correct answers in Question 1(b), would this represent a price ceiling or a price floor? Explain. Further, determine what would be the quantity of shortage or surplus that would exist in this market, and be explicit whether it is a surplus or a shortage and explain why.

4.Given the readings you looked at on price controls, what other problems typically arise, besides shortages or surpluses, when price controls are put in place within well-functioning markets?