16- Indirect Taxes Flashcards
What is an indirect tax?
A tax on consumption
Examples of indirect taxes?
VAT and Excise duties
Taxation definition
The medium through which governments finance their spending and control the economy.
What is an ad valoerm tax?
A tax based on the value of the good being sold. They increase the price by a fixed percentage.
What is a specific tax?
A tax paid by unit. They increase the cost of production by the tax amount on each unit and leads to a decrease in supply.
What is a direct tax?
A tax based on wealth and income.
Such as income tax, interest rates and profits
What is the incidence of tax?
It measures the burden of tax upon the tax payer.
What factor determines the incidence of tax?
The elasticity of demand
Link between elasticity of demand and incidence of tax?
The more inelastic demand, the more of the tax is passed onto consumers, and less is absorbed by firms.
Impact of indirect taxes on governments
Indirect Taxes generate revenue for the government. These revenues can then be spent on capital investment (e.g hospitals for the NHS) or transfer (welfare) payments.
Impact of indirect taxes on consumers
- If demand was perfectly inelastic, then the demand curve would be vertical - so the quantity demanded wouldn’t change but price would.
- The burden of the tax would fall completely on the consumer.
- If demand was perfectly elastic (horizontal demand curve) then the burden would fall completely on the producer.
Impact of indirect taxes on producers
- If demand is inelastic, then the consumers bear the whole burden of an indirect tax
- If demand is elastic, the producers bear the whole burden of an indirect tax
What is consumer incidence of tax?
The proportion of total tax revenue paid by consumers (for indirect taxes)
Wprophat is producer incidence of tax?
The proportion of total tax revenue paid by producers (for indirect taxes)
What is a progressive tax?
A tax that takes a higher proportion of income as income rises
E.g UK tax brackets
What are the UK tax brackets?
£0-12,500- personal allowance
£12,501- 50,000 - 20% income tax
£50,001- 150,000- 40% income tax
£150,001+ 45 % income tax
What is a Regressive tax?
A tax that takes a higher proportion of income as income falls
E.g Indirect ad valoerm taxes like VAT.
A smoker on a lower income will spend a larger % of income on VAT for cigarettes as someone who earns more.
What is a proportional tax?
A tax that takes the same proportion of income regardless of the level of income.
E.g like in some US states
What is a proportional tax?
A tax that takes the same proportion of income regardless of the level of income.
E.g like in some US states
What does the right tax rate allow?
The tax rate, in theory, allows the socially optimal quantity to be achieved
Why is it hard to set the right tax rate?
Because in reality it is virtually impossible to measure the value of externalities.
What is the problem with the cost of tax collection?
If a tax is difficult/expensive to collect , then it may not be worth imposing it.
Points in favour of a sugar tax?
- External costs of sugary drinks I.e cause of market failure
- Information failures- people underestimate long term costs
- Sugar tax raises revenue- perhaps ringfenced for other projects such as school sports
- Tax encourages producers to re-formulate drinks- healthier
Points against sugar tax?
- Might be regressive on lower income families/households
- Other policies might be more effective in cutting consumption
- People might simply switch to other sugar products
- Risk of lost jobs in pubs and shops that rely on drink sales
