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ECON 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 17: Tax Rate, Marginal Utility, Regressive Tax

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School
Carleton University
Department
Economics
Course
ECON 1000
Professor
Nick Rowe

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Document Summary

Econ 1000 - week 9 lecture 17. In terms of tax and income as the axis on a graph: If slope is 0 than so is the marginal tax rate. If slope is one, after every dollar you in you get to keep that extra dollar. Tax you pay generally doesn"t change when your income increases or decreases. Some benefits: if the marginal tax rate is one. Perfect equality: marginal benefit of consuming extra products gets smaller as you consume more, diminishing marginal benefits of consumption is what this is known as, utility: basic benefits of consumption as a equation it can be. [u=u(c)] utility is based on consumption: marginal utility = change in utility / change in consumption, utilitarianism: individuals maximize their own individual utility (economics definition) Slope of u(c: slope = change in utility over / change in consumption [this is also the marginal utility, the curve of this graph will be diminishing (outward flex)

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Related Questions

1. Economists use ____________ as a measure of the relative level of satisfaction when someone consumes a good or service.

  consumer happiness
  utility
  a happiness index
  a satisfaction index

2. Sue likes brownies. However, Sue notices that the more brownies she eats the less satisfaction she receives from each extra brownie. We can say that Sue is experiencing ___________________ from each extra brownie.

  sugar sickness
  total utility
  diminishing marginal utility
  increasing marginal utility

3. When total utility is maximized, the marginal utility will be

  positive.
  zero.
  negative.
  none of these.

4. Consider Dirk and Lee. They are both eating pizza. Which of the following statements is true regarding their satisfaction and utility?

  Dirk and Lee both receive 10 utils from eating pizza.
  Dirk and Lee both receive the same level of satisfaction from eating pizza.
  Dirk gets more twice as much satisfaction as Lee from eating pizza.
  It is difficult to determine because the utility is subjective.

5. For many products, the total utility curve is

  strictly increasing because of increasing marginal utility.
  strictly decreasing because of diminishing marginal utility.
  increasing initially because of increasing marginal utility, but eventually decreases.
  increasing initially at a decreasing rate because of diminishing marginal utility but eventually decreases.

6. When consumers get the biggest bang for the buck, we say they

  used the loudest gun in hunting season.
  reached a consumer optimum.
  minimized consumer satisfaction.
  maximized marginal utility.

7. By choosing to consume at the consumer optimum, consumers will

  maximize their total utility.
  minimize their total utility.
  maximize the amount they spend on each good.
 

minimize the amount they spend on each good.

8. A consumer is in equilibrium when consuming two goods when which of the following holds?

  MUa/ Pa = MUb/ Pb
  MUa/ Ph =MUb/ Pa
  Pa/ MUa = Pb/ MUb
  MUa x Pa = MUbxPb

9. If the marginal utility of good 1 is 15 and its price is $3, and the marginal utility of good 2 is 12, and its price is $4, then the consumer

  has achieved a consumer optimum.
  should increase his or her consumption of good 1.
  should increase his or her consumption of good 2.
  should decrease his or her consumption of good 1.

10.Suppose the price of an iPod decrease and the price of HD TVs remains the same; what noticeable effect(s) occur(s)?

  the substitution effect only
  the real-income effect only
  the substitution effect and real-income effect, if there is a noticeable change in purchasing power
  the substitution effect and real-income effect, if there isn’t a noticeable change in purchasing power

11. The ______________ paradox was described by Adam Smith in 1776.

  diamond-carbon
  diamond-water
  diamond-life
  water-utility

12. What is the key to solving the diamond-water paradox?

  more water and fewer diamonds
  marginal utility
  total utility
  consumer demand

13. When solving the diamond-water paradox we notice that the marginal utility of

  diamonds are equal to the marginal utility of water.
  diamonds are greater than the marginal utility of water.
  diamonds are less than the marginal utility of water.
  water is equal to its price, and therefore lower than the marginal utility of diamonds.

14. The consumer surplus for water is

  greater than that for diamonds because water is nonessential.
  greater than that for diamonds because water is essential.
  less than that for diamonds because water is nonessential.
  less than that for diamonds because water is essential.

15. Suppose a consumer consumes only diamonds and water, and the price of diamonds increases. All else being equal, a consumer’s marginal utility for diamonds

  decreases and the marginal utility for water stays the same.
  increases and the marginal utility for water decreases.
  decreases and the marginal utility for water increases.
  increases and the marginal utility for water stays the same.

1. “Total compensation” includes:

a. Wages and salaries and all fringe benefits

b. Wages and salaries and public (legally mandated) fringe benefits only

c. Wages and salaries and private (nonmandatory) fringe benefits only

d. Wages and salaries and all fringe benefits net of all personal taxes

2. Fringe benefits currently account for approximately what percentage of total compensation?

a. 5% – 10%

c. 25% – 30%

b. 15% – 20%

d. 35% – 40%

3. As a percentage of benefits, the largest share goes to:

a. retirement and savings

c. paid leave

b. insurance

d. legally required benefits

4. The proportion of total compensation paid out as fringe benefits tends to be larger in:

a. high-paid industries compared to low-paid industries

b. service industries compared to manufacturing industries

c. white-collar occupations compared to blue-collar occupations

d. retail trade compared to transportation and public utilities

5. The share of fringe benefits in total employee compensation:

a. grew steadily in the 1960s and 1970s but has fallen since 1980

b. was unchanged in the 1960s and 1970s and has fallen since 1980

c. shrank in the 1960s and 1970s and has remained constant since then

d. grew steadily from 1960 through the mid-1990s

6. Which one of the following is not a valid explanation for why workers may prefer an extra dollar’s worth of fringe benefits to an extra dollar’s worth of cash?

a. workers may prefer to bind themselves against their own tendencies toward immediate gratification

b. certain fringe benefits effectively trade current taxes for future taxes

c. people generally prefer in-kind benefits to cash

d. certain fringe benefits are untaxed

7. Because there is a _______ marginal rate of substitution of fringe benefits for wages, a worker’s wage-fringe indifference curves are typically _______:

a. diminishing; convex to the origin

b. constant; straight lines

c. diminishing; concave to the origin

d. negative; straight lines

8. The slope of a wage-fringe indifference curve reflects:

a. the overall utility level of a person

b. a worker’s willingness to give up an extra dollar of wages in exchange for an extra dollar of fringe benefits

c. the firm’s cost of paying an extra dollar of compensation as wages rather than fringe benefits

d. an increasing marginal rate of substitution of fringe benefits for cash 2

9. An individual wage-fringe isoprofit line shows:

a. combinations of wages and fringe benefits that result in constant dollar values of total compensation

b. combinations of wages and fringe benefits that result in the same profit to the firm

c. the greatest possible profit attainable from a given level of fringe benefits

d. the greatest possible profit attainable from a given level of wages

10. The slope of a wage-fringe isoprofit curve reflects:

a. the overall profitability of the firm

b. a worker’s willingness to give up an extra dollar of wages in exchange for an extra dollar of fringe benefits

c. the relative “price” of fringe benefits compared to wages

d. an increasing marginal rate of substitution of fringe benefits for cash

11. The firm’s wage-fringe isoprofit curve typically has a slope less than 1 (absolute value) because:

a. fringe benefits confer tax advantages on workers

b. on average, it costs firms more to purchase fringe benefits than workers

c. the composition of fringe benefits may increase worker productivity

d. increasing the proportion of compensation received as fringe benefits reduces a firm’s profit level

12. If a firm can offer fringe benefits worth more than one dollar for a one dollar reduction in wages:

a. the wage-fringe isoprofit line will be upward-sloping

b. the wage-fringe isoprofit line will have a slope less than one in absolute value

c. the marginal rate of substitution between wages and fringe benefits will be greater than one at the wage-fringe optimum

d. as a proportion of total compensation, fringe benefits will likely exceed one half

13. The employer’s share of the Social Security and Medicare components of the payroll tax has increased, from 6.13% in 1980 to its current rate of 7.65%. Because employers pay no payroll tax on many fringe benefits, this change in tax rates has effectively:

a. reduced the “price” of fringe benefits, increasing the slope of the wage-fringe isoprofit line

b. increased the “price” of fringe benefits, increasing the slope of the wage-fringe isoprofit line

c. reduced the “price” of fringe benefits, reducing the slope of the wage-fringe isoprofit line

d. increased the “price” of fringe benefits, reducing the slope of the wage-fringe isoprofit line

14. The trend of fringe benefits as a percentage of total compensation can be partially explained by the fact that:

a. tax reform has rendered many types of fringe benefits fully taxable

b. “in-kind” benefits restrict workers’ consumption choices

c. the firm may be able to purchase fringe benefits more cheaply than workers

d. many types of fringe benefits are income inelastic

15. Fringe benefits will tend to be a greater proportion of total compensation, the:

a. more income elastic are fringe benefits

b. more they increase worker turnover

c. lower the employer’s share of the Social Security tax

d. less there are economies of scale in purchasing fringe benefits 3

16. Which of the following is not a cause of fringe benefit growth?

a. Tax advantages to the employer

b. Efficiency considerations

c. Economies of scale

d. Fringe benefits are income inelastic

1. Use the table below for the following question. Suppose you have a budget of $6 and that brownies and Twizzlers cost $1 each. What is the consumer optimum?

Number of Brownies

Total Utility of Brownies

Marginal Utility of Brownies

Number of Twizzlers

Total Utility of Twizzlers

Marginal Utility of Twizzlers

0

0

-

0

0

-

1

10

10

1

6

8

2

19

9

2

13

7

3

26

7

3

19

6

4

30

4

4

23

4

5

30

0

5

25

2

6

29

-1

6

25

0
  6 brownies
  3 brownies and 3 Twizzlers
  4 brownies and 2 Twizzlers
  any combination of 6 because they're both $1
  8

2. Use the table below for the following question. What is the consumer equilibrium for a $6 budget if the price of brownies rises to $1.50 and the price of Twizzlers remains at $1.00?

Number of Brownies

Total Utility of Brownies

Marginal Utility of Brownies

Number of Twizzlers

Total Utility of Twizzlers

Marginal Utility of Twizzlers

0

0

-

0

0

-

1

10

10

1

6

8

2

19

9

2

13

7

3

26

7

3

19

6

4

30

4

4

23

4

5

30

0

5

25

2

6

29

-1

6

25

0
  The consumer will buy all Twizzlers because they're cheaper.
  4 brownies
  3 Twizzlers and 2 brownies
  3 brownies and 3 Twizzlers
  7

3. At Nice Price for the Ice, an ice cream parlor, customers routinely buy a scoop of ice cream for $3. If consumers purchase one scoop of ice cream at $3, then why don't they keep buying more and more scoops for $3 until the store sells out?

  People would not want more than one scoop of ice cream because then they would have less money to spend on other goods.
  People do not want to consume all the scoops of ice cream because their total utility is higher the less they eat.
  At some point, customers do not value an additional scoop at $3, so they will not pay $3 for a scoop after they reach that point.

4. Suppose you plan on eating 50 potato chips. As you start consuming potato chips, your marginal utility is very high, but it begins to fall slowly until you've eaten 10 chips. After you have eaten 10 chips, your marginal utility decreases even faster with each additional chip. The marginal utility continues to decline until you've eaten 49 chips. The fiftieth chip does not give you any additional utility. After 50 chips, your mouth gets so salty that it's unpleasant to eat anymore, so marginal utility is actually negative for those chips. How many chips should you eat in order to maximize your total utility?

  1
  10
  49

5. As you start consuming potato chips, your marginal utility is very high, but it begins to fall slowly until you've eaten 10 chips. After you have eaten 10 chips, marginal utility decreases even faster with each additional chip. The marginal utility continues to decline until you've eaten 49 chips. The fiftieth chip does not give you any additional utility. After 50 chips, your mouth gets so salty that it's unpleasant to eat anymore, so marginal utility is actually negative for those chips. How many chips should you eat in order to maximize your marginal utility?

  1
  10
  49
  50

6. At current levels of consumption, Alice is spending her entire budget. If Alice gets 3 utils of satisfaction per dollar spent on ice cream and 2 utils per dollar spent on shampoo, then how should she adjust her consumption to get closer to the consumer optimum?

  She is already at the consumer optimum, so no adjustment is necessary.
  She should buy more ice cream and less shampoo.
  She should buy more shampoo and less ice cream.
  She should buy more of both goods.

7. Suppose you are at a restaurant and your favorite dish costs $20. You can get your next-favorite dish for $17. If your next-favorite dish gives you 100 utils, how many additional utils do you need from your favorite dish to spend the extra $3?

  15
  17.65
  85
  117.65

8. The diamond water paradox is the observation that water is essential to life and inexpensive, while diamonds are not essential and are highly-priced. Which of the other pairs of goods exhibit a pricing structure similar to water and diamonds?

  economy & luxury cars
  rice & truffles (very expensive mushrooms)
  paper clips & gasoline
  paper & textbooks

9. Rice is a cheap staple food eaten several times a day by many people all over the world. In Trufflelandia, residents also eat expensive mushrooms known as truffles once every year as a birthday celebration. Rice keeps the people alive and truffles are not necessary for sustaining their lives. Why is rice so cheap and truffles so expensive?

  Truffles taste better, so they are worth more money.
  Rice is easy to cook, so people buy a lot of it. If people are going to buy so much, then it has to be cheap.
  Truffles are more nutritious, and healthy food is always more expensive than unhealthy food.
  People eat so much rice that an additional serving of rice has little marginal value, but the marginal value of another serving of truffles is very high.