1. Tax Incidence and Deadweight Loss

2. Excise Taxes
Tax charged on each unit of a good or service that is sold
Most common tax
Gasoline, cigarettes
Local governments impose excise taxes on services (hotel room rentals)

3. Excise Tax Renting a room in Potterville Without taxes,
equilibrium price of a room $80
Equilibrium quantity of hotel rooms rented is 10,000
Now, government imposes an excise tax of $40 per night
Means – every time a room is rented for the night, the owner of the hotel must pay the city $40
What does this imply about the supply curve?

4. The Supply and Demand for Hotel Rooms in Potterville
Price of hotel room
$140
120 S
100 E
Equilibrium price 80 B 60 D 40
Figure Caption: Figure 7-1: The Supply and Demand for Hotel Rooms in Potterville
In the absence of taxes, the equilibrium price of hotel rooms is $80 a night, and the equilibrium number of rooms rented is 10,000 per night, as shown by point E. The supply curve, S, shows the quantity supplied at any given price, pre-tax. At a price of $60 a night, hotel owners are willing to supply 5,000 rooms, point B. But post-tax, hotel owners are willing to supply the same quantity only at a price of $100: $60 for themselves plus $40 paid to the city as tax. 20
5,000
10,000
15,000
Quantity of hotel rooms
Equilibrium quantity

5. Excise Tax
Graph shows that the post-tax supply curve shifts up by the amount of the tax compared to the pre-tax supply curve
At every quantity supplied, the supply price has increased by $40

6. An Excise Tax Imposed on Hotel Owners
Price S
$140
Supply curve shifts upward by the amount of the tax 2
120 A S
100 1 E
Excise tax = $40 per room 80 60 D B
Figure Caption: Figure 7-2: An Excise Tax Imposed on Hotel Owners
A $40 per room tax imposed on hotel owners shifts the supply curve from S1to S2, an upward shift of $40. The equilibrium price of hotel rooms rises from $80 to $100 a night, and the equilibrium quantity of rooms rented falls from 10,000 to 5,000. Although hotel owners pay the tax, they actually bear only half the burden: the price they receive net of tax falls only $20, from $80 to $60. Guests who rent rooms bear the other half of the burden, because the price they pay rises by $20, from $80 to $100. 40 20
5,000
10,000
15,000
Quantity of hotel rooms

7. Excise Tax The graph also shows the results of a quota placed on sales
A quota drives a wedge between the price paid by consumers and the price received by producers
Excise taxes does the same thing
Excise tax on hotel rooms is actually a tax on the producers (hotel owners) not the guest

8. Excise Tax
What happens if the city levied a tax on consumers instead of producers?
Hotel guests pay $40 for each night stayed

9. An Excise Tax Imposed on Hotel Guests
Price
$140
Demand curve shifts downward by the amount of the tax
120 A S
100 E
Excise tax = $40 per room 80 60 D B 1
Figure Caption: Figure 7-3: An Excise Tax Imposed on Hotel Guests
A $40 per room tax imposed on hotel guests shifts the demand curve from D1to D2, a downward shift of $40. The equilibrium price of hotel rooms falls from $80 to $60 a night, and the quantity of rooms rented falls from 10,000 to 5,000. Although in this case the tax is officially paid by consumers, while in Figure 7-2 the tax was paid by producers, the outcome is the same: after taxes, hotel owners receive $60 per room but guests pay $100. This illustrates a general principle: The incidence of an excise tax doesn’t depend on whether consumers or producers officially pay the tax. 40 20 D 2
5,000
10,000
15,000
Quantity of hotel rooms

10. Both graphs show the same price effect
Consumers pay an effective price of $100, producers receive an effective price of $60, and 5,000 hotel rooms are bought and sold
**It doesn’t matter who officially pays the tax – the equilibrium outcome is the same

11. Tax Incidence Incidence of a tax is a measure of who really pays it
Who really bears the burden of the tax?
In reality, between consumers and producers, one group bears more of a burden than the other

12. Excise Tax Paid by Consumers
What determines how the burden of an excise tax is allocated between consumers and producers?
Depends on the shape of the supply and demand curve
Depends on the price elasticity of supply and the price elasticity of demand

13. An Excise Tax Paid Mainly By Consumers
When the price elasticity of demand is low and the price elasticity of supply is high, the burden of an excise tax falls mainly on consumers.
Price of gasoline (per gallon)
$2.95
Tax burden falls mainly on consumers
Excise tax = $1 per gallon
2.00 S
1.95
Figure Caption: Figure 7-4: An Excise Tax Paid Mainly By Consumers
The relatively steep demand curve here reflects a low price elasticity of demand for gasoline. The relatively flat supply curve reflects a high price elasticity of supply. The pre-tax price of a gallon of gasoline is $2.00, and a tax of $1.00 per gallon is imposed. The price paid by consumers rises by $0.95 to $2.95, reflecting the fact that most of the burden of the tax falls on consumers. Only a small portion of the tax is borne by producers: the price they receive falls by only $0.05 to $1.95. D
Quantity of gasoline (gallons)

14. Excise Tax Paid by Consumers
Two key assumptions:
Price elasticity of demand for gasoline is assumed to be very low, so the demand curve is relatively steep
Price elasticity of supply of gasoline is assumed to be very high, so the supply curve is relatively flat
**When the price elasticity of demand is low and the price of elasticity of supply is high, the burden of an excise tax falls mainly on consumers **

15. Excise Tax Paid by Consumers
**When the price elasticity of demand is low and the price of elasticity of supply is high, the burden of an excise tax falls mainly on consumers **
WHY?
A low price elasticity of demand means that consumers have few substitutes and so little alternatives to buying higher-priced gasoline

16. An Excise Tax Paid Mainly by Producers
Price of parking space
When the price elasticity of demand is high and the price elasticity of supply is low, the burden of an excise tax falls mainly on producers. S
$6.50
6.00 D
Excise tax = $5 per parking space
Tax burden falls mainly on producers
Figure Caption: Figure 7-5: An Excise Tax Paid Mainly by Producers
The relatively flat demand curve here reflects a high price elasticity of demand for downtown parking, and the relatively steep supply curve results from a low price elasticity of supply. The pre-tax price of a daily parking space is $6.00 and a tax of $5.00 is imposed. The price received by producers falls a lot, to $1.50, reflecting the fact that they bear most of the tax burden. The price paid by consumers rises a small amount, $0.50, to $6.50, so they bear very little of the burden.
1.50
Quantity of parking spaces

17. Excise Tax on Consumers & Producers
When the price elasticity of demand is higher than the price elasticity of supply, an excise tax falls mainly on producers. When the price elasticity of supply is higher than the price elasticity of demand, an excise tax falls mainly on consumers
Elasticity (not who pays the tax) determines the incidence of an excise tax

18. Benefits and Costs of Taxation
If government is consider whether to impose a tax or how to design a tax system, it must weigh the benefits of a tax against its loses
Benefit of a tax is the revenue it raises for the government to pay for these services
Although, comes at a cost – cost is normally larger than the amount consumers and producers pay

19. Revenue from an Excise Tax
How much revenue foes the government collect from an excise tax?
In example of hotel rooms……amount is equal to the area of the shaded rectangle

20. The Revenue from an Excise Tax
Price of hotel room
The tax revenue collected is:
Tax revenue = $40 per room × 5,000 rooms = $200,000
$140
120 A S
100 E
Excise tax = $40 per room
Area = tax revenue 80 60 D B
The area of the shaded rectangle is:
Area = Height × Width = $40 per room × 5,000 rooms = $200,000
Figure Caption: Figure 7-6: The Revenue from an Excise Tax
The revenue from a $40 excise tax on hotel rooms is $200,000, equal to the tax rate, $40—the size of the wedge that the tax drives between the supply price and the demand price—multiplied by the number of rooms rented, 5,000. This is equal to the area of the shaded rectangle. 40 20 6
5,000
10,000
15,000
Quantity of hotel rooms

21. Revenue from an Excise Tax
General Principle:
The revenue collected by an excise tax is equal to the area of the rectangle whose height is the tax wedge between the supply and demand curves and whose width is the quantity transacted under the tax.

22. Tax Rates and Revenue
From graph above, $40 per room is the tax rate on hotel rooms
Tax rate is the amount of tax levied per unit of whatever is being taxed
Tax rates can be in dollar amount per unit of good or service
Or they are defined as the percentage of the price

23. Tax Rates and Revenue Relationship between tax rates and revenue:
Not a one-for-one relationship
Generally, doubling the excise tax rate on a good or service won’t double the amount of revenue collected, because the tax increase will reduce the quantity of the good or service transacted
This relationship is not always positive, some cases raising the tax rate actually reduces the amount of revenue the government collects

24. Tax Rates and Revenue (a) An excise tax of $20
(b) An excise tax of $60
Price of hotel room
Price of hotel room
$140
$140
120
120
110 S
Area = tax revenue S 90 E E
Excise tax = $20 per room
Area = tax revenue
Excise tax = $60 per room 80 80 70 D D
Figure Caption: Figure 7-7: Tax Rates and Revenue
In general, doubling the excise tax rate on a good or service won’t double the amount of revenue collected, because the tax increase will reduce the quantity of the good or service bought and sold. And the relationship between the level of the tax and the amount of revenue collected may not even be positive. Panel (a) shows the revenue raised by a tax rate of $20 per room, only half the tax rate in Figure 7-6. The tax revenue raised, equal to the area of the shaded rectangle, is $150,000, three- quarters as much as the revenue raised by a $40 tax rate. Panel (b) shows that the revenue raised by a $60 tax rate is also $150,000. So raising the tax rate from $40 to $60 actually reduces tax revenue. 50 40 40 20 20 6
,000
7,500
10,000
15,000
2,500
5,000
10,000
15,000
Quantity of hotel rooms
Quantity of hotel rooms

25. Tax Rates and Revenue
Setting a tax rate high deters a significant number of transactions which is likely to lead to a fall in tax revenue
Two ways to think about this:
1. tax increase means that the government raises more revenue for each unit of the good sold, which other think equal would lead to a rise in tax revenue

26. Tax Rates and Revenue
The tax increase reduces the quantity of sales, which other thinks equal would lead to a fall in tax revenue
What is the end result?
Depends both on the price elasticizes of supply and demand and on the initial level of tax

27. Tax Rates and Revenue
If the price elasticities of both supply and demand are low, the tax increase won’t reduce the quantity of the good sold very much, so that the tax revenue would definitely rise
If the price elasticities are high, the result is less certain; of they are high enough, the tax reduces the quantitative sold so much that the tax revenue falls
Also, if the initial tax rate is low, the government doesn't lose much revenue from the decline in the quantity of the good sold, so the tax increase will definitely increase tax revenue

28. Tax Rates and Revenue
Also, if the initial tax rate is low, the government doesn't lose much revenue from the decline in the quantity of the good sold, so the tax increase will definitely increase tax revenue
If the initial tax rate is high, the result again is less certain
Tax revenue is likely to fall or rise very little from a tax increase only in cases where the price elasticities are high and there is already a high tax rate

29. The Costs of Taxation What is the cost of taxation?
Actually, a tax, like a quota, prevents mutually beneficial transactions from occurring
Remember the tax on hotel rooms?
Due to the wedge created by the tax, some transactions don’t occur that would have occurred without the tax
Remember deadweight loss?
The cost to society is inefficient—the value of the forgone mutually beneficial transactions

30. A Tax Reduces Consumer and Producer Surplusi c e
Fall in consumer surplus due to tax S P C A B
Excise tax = T P E E F C
Fall in producer surplus due to tax P P
Figure Caption: Figure 7-8: A Tax Reduces Consumer and Producer Surplus
Before the tax, the equilibrium price and quantity are PE and QE, respectively. After an excise tax of T per unit is imposed, the price to consumers rises to PC and consumer surplus falls by the sum of the dark blue rectangle, labeled A, and the light blue triangle, labeled B. The tax also causes the price to producers to fall to PP; producer surplus falls by the sum of the dark red rectangle, labeled C, and the light red triangle, labeled F. The government receives revenue from the tax, QT× T, which is given by the sum of the areas A and C. Areas Band F represent the losses to consumer and producer surplus that are not collected by the government as revenue; they are the deadweight loss to society of the tax. D Q Q T E
Quantity

31.  A tax reduces both, the CS and the PS
Tax Rates and Revenue
A fall in the price of a good generates a gain in consumer surplus.
Similarly, a price increase causes a loss to consumers.
So it’s not surprising that in the case of an excise tax, the rise in the price paid by consumers causes a loss.
Meanwhile, the fall in the price received by producers leads to a fall in producer surplus.
 A tax reduces both, the CS and the PS

32. Tax Rates and Revenue
Using a triangle to measure deadweight loss is a technique used in many economic applications
Used to measure deadweight loss produces by types of taxes other than excise tax, used to measure deadweight loss produced by monopolies, used to evaluate the benefits and costs of public policies because taxation

33. Tax Rates and Revenue
When looking at the total amount of inefficiency caused by a tax, we must also take into account resources actually used by the government to collect the tax, and by taxpayers to pay it, over and above the amount of the tax
Administrative costs of taxes are the resources lost
i.e. the amount of time people spend filling out their income tax forms and or the money they spend paying someone else to prepare their tax forms

34. Tax Rates and Revenue
The total inefficiency caused by a tax is the sum of its deadweight loss and its administrative costs. The general rule for economic policy is that, other things equal, a tax system should be designed to minimize the total inefficiency it imposes on society.

35. Elasticities and the Deadweight Loss of a Tax
We know (hopefully) that the deadweight loss from an excise tax arises because it prevents some mutually beneficial transactions from occurring
The producer and consumer surplus that is forgone because of these missing transactions is equal to the size of the deadweight loss itself
Larger the number of transactions that are prevented by the tax, the larger the deadweight loss

36. Elasticities and the Deadweight Loss of a Tax
To minimize the efficiency costs of taxation, one should choose to tax only those goods for which demand or supply, or both, is relatively inelastic.
For such goods, a tax has little effect on behavior because behavior is relatively unresponsive to changes in the price.

37. Elasticities and the Deadweight Loss of a Tax
In the extreme case in which demand is perfectly inelastic (a vertical demand curve), the quantity demanded is unchanged by the imposition of the tax. As a result, the tax imposes no deadweight loss.
Similarly, if supply is perfectly inelastic (a vertical supply curve), the quantity supplied is unchanged by the tax and there is also no deadweight loss
If the goal in choosing whom to tax is to minimize deadweight loss, then taxes should be imposed on goods and services that have the most inelastic response—that is, goods and services for which consumers or producers will change their behavior the least in response to the tax.

38. Deadweight Loss and Elasticities
(a) Elastic Demand
(b)
Inelastic Demand
Price
Price S S
Deadweight loss is larger when demand is elastic P C
Excise tax = T P C E
Deadweight loss is smaller when demand is inelastic P P E E E
Excise tax = T P P D
Figure Caption: Figure 7-10: Deadweight Loss and Elasticities
Demand is elastic in panel (a) and inelastic in panel (b), but the supply curves are the same. Supply is elastic in panel (c) and inelastic in panel (d), but the demand curves are the same. The deadweight losses are larger in panels (a) and (c) than in panels (b) and (d) because the greater the price elasticity of demand or supply, the greater the tax-induced fall in the quantity transacted. In contrast, the lower the price elasticity of demand or supply, the smaller the tax-induced fall in the quantity transacted and the smaller the deadweight loss. P P D Q Q
Quantity Q Q
Quantity T E T E

39. Deadweight Loss and Elasticities
(c) Elastic Supply
(d)
Inelastic Supply
Price
Price S
Deadweight loss is larger when supply is elastic P C S P
Excise tax = T C P P E
Deadweight loss is smaller when supply is inelastic E E
Excise tax = T E P P
Figure Caption: Figure 7-10: Deadweight Loss and Elasticities
Demand is elastic in panel (a) and inelastic in panel (b), but the supply curves are the same. Supply is elastic in panel (c) and inelastic in panel (d), but the demand curves are the same. The deadweight losses are larger in panels (a) and (c) than in panels (b) and (d) because the greater the price elasticity of demand or supply, the greater the tax-induced fall in the quantity transacted. In contrast, the lower the price elasticity of demand or supply, the smaller the tax-induced fall in the quantity transacted and the smaller the deadweight loss. P P D D Q Q
Quantity Q Q
Quantity T E T E

40. Elasticities and the Deadweight Loss of a Tax
From the graphs, it is easily seen that to minimize the efficiency costs of taxation, you should choose to tax only those goods for which demand or supply, or both, is relatively inelastic
For these goods, tax has little effect on the behavior because behavior is relatively unresponsive to changes in the price