1. Unit 2: Supply, Demand, and Consumer Choice

2. REMEMBER THE STEPS!

3. Government Involvement
#1-Price Controls: Floors and Ceilings #2-Import Quotas #3-Subsidies #4-Excise Taxes

4. #1-PRICE CONTROLS
Who likes the idea of having a price ceiling on gas so prices will never go over $1 per gallon?

5. Price Ceiling Gasoline
Maximum legal price a seller can charge for a product.
Goal: Make affordable by keeping price from reaching Eq. P
Gasoline S $5 4 3 2 1
Does this policy help consumers?
Result: BLACK MARKETS
Price Ceiling
Shortage
(Qd>Qs) D o Q 5

6. To have an effect,
a price ceiling must be
below equilibrium

7. Price Floor Corn Minimum legal price a seller can sell a product.
Goal: Keep price high by keeping price from falling to Eq. P
Corn S $ 4 3 2 1
Surplus
(Qd<Qs)
Price Floor
Does this policy help corn producers? D o Q 7

8. To have an effect,
a price floor must be
above equilibrium

9. Practice Questions
1. Which of the following will occur if a legal price floor is placed on a good below its free market equilibrium?
Surpluses will develop
Shortages will develop
Underground markets will develop
The equilibrium price will remain the same
The quantity sold will increase
2. Which of the following statements about price control is true?
A. A price ceiling causes a shortage if the ceiling price is above the equilibrium price
B. A price floor causes a surplus if the price floor is below the equilibrium price
C. Price ceilings and price floors result in a misallocation of resources
D. Price floors above equilibrium cause a shortage
Answers: D C

10. Answer the Questions below then draw the graphs requested in your notes:
In your notes: draw one S&D graph that shows a price floor and another that shows a price ceiling

11. Are Price Controls Good or Bad?
To be “efficient” a market must maximize consumers and producers surplus P S CS Pc PS D Qe Q

12. Are Price Controls Good or Bad? DEADWEIGHT LOSS The Lost CS and PS.
To be “efficient” a market must maximize consumers and producers surplus P S CS
Price FLOOR
DEADWEIGHT LOSS The Lost CS and PS.
INEFFICIENT! Pc PS D
Qfloor Qe Q

13. Are Price Controls Good or Bad?
To be “efficient” a market must maximize consumers and producers surplus P S CS Pc PS D Qe Q

14. Are Price Controls Good or Bad? DEADWEIGHT LOSS The Lost CS and PS.
To be “efficient” a market must maximize consumers and producers surplus P S
DEADWEIGHT LOSS The Lost CS and PS.
INEFFICIENT! CS Pc
Price CEILING PS D
Qceiling Qe Q

15. #2 Import Quotas A quota is a limit on number of imports.
The government sets the maximum amount that can come in the country.
Purpose:
To protect domestic producers from a cheaper world price.
To prevent domestic unemployment

16. International Trade and Quotas
Identify the following:
CS with no trade
PS with no trade
CS if we trade at world price (PW)
PS if we trade at world price (PW)
Amount we import at world price (PW)
If the government sets a quota on imports of Q4 - Q2, what happens to CS and PS?
1.H
2.TLI
3.HIJKLMNRS
4.T
5.Q5-Q1
6. CS gets smaller and PS gets bigger
This graphs show the domestic supply and demand for grain. The letters represent area.

17. Ai - P2
Aii - Q2
B – Q3-Q1
Ci – P2KG
Cii – KHPw
Di – P1 P2 G
Dii – Pw P1 J

18. #3 Subsidies The government just gives producers money.
The goal is for them to make more of the goods that the government thinks are important.
Ex:
Agriculture (to prevent famine)
Pharmaceutical Companies
Environmentally Safe Vehicles
FAFSA

19. Result of Subsidies to Corn Producers
Price of Corn S
SSubsidy
Price Down
Quantity Up
Everyone Wins, Right? Pe P1 D o Qe Q1 Q
Quantity of Corn 19

21. Excise Tax = A per unit tax on producers
#4 Excise Taxes
Excise Tax = A per unit tax on producers
For every unit made, the producer must pay $
NOT a Lump Sum (one time only)Tax
The goal is for them to make less of the goods that the government deems dangerous or unwanted.
Ex:
Cigarettes “sin tax”
Alcohol “sin tax”
Tariffs on imported goods
Environmentally Unsafe Products
Etc. 21

22. Government sets a $2 per unit tax on Cigarettes
Excise Taxes
Supply Schedule
Government sets a $2 per unit tax on Cigarettes P P Qs $5
140 $4
120 $3
100 $2 80 $1 60 S $5 4 3 2 1 D o Q 22

23. Government sets a $2 per unit tax on Cigarettes
Excise Taxes
Supply Schedule
Government sets a $2 per unit tax on Cigarettes P P Qs
$5 $7
140
$4 $6
120
$3 $5
100
$2 $4 80
$1 $3 60 S $5 4 3 2 1 D o Q 23

24. Tax is the vertical distance between supply curves
Excise Taxes
STax
Supply Schedule P P Qs
$5 $7
140
$4 $6
120
$3 $5
100
$2 $4 80
$1 $3 60 S $5 4 3 2 1
Tax is the vertical distance between supply curves D o Q 24

25. Identify the following:
Excise Taxes S
Identify the following:
Price before tax
Price consumers pay after tax
Price producers get after tax
Total tax revenue for the government before tax
Total tax revenue for the government after tax P S $5 4 3 2 1
1.$3
2.$4
3.$2
4.$0
5.$160 D o Q 25

26. 26

27. Tax Practice CS Before Tax PS Before Tax CS After Tax PS After Tax
Tax Revenue for Government
Dead Weight Loss due to tax
Amount of tax revenue producers pay
1.ABCD
2.HFEG
3.A
4.G
5.BCHF
6.DE
7.HF 27

28. Excise Tax P
$14 12 11 8 S D 10 12 Q

29. Excise Tax 12 P Stax S $14 11 Pc 8 Pp D 12 10 Q Calculate Tax Per Unit
Total Tax Revenue
Amount of Tax paid by consumers
Amount of Tax paid by producers
Total Expenditures
Total Revenue for firms P
Stax
$14 12 11 8 S Pc Pp D 10 12 Q

30. Excise Tax Calculate CS Before Tax Total Expenditures Before Tax
Tax Per Unit
Total Tax Revenue that goes to Government
Amount of Tax paid by consumers
Amount of Tax paid by producers
Total Expenditures after tax
Total Revenue for firms after tax
CS After Tax
DWL