2. Consider a small island economy where the government is contemplating imposing a tax on bananas to raise revenue for public projects. The islanders' utility from consuming bananas (B) and coconuts (C) is given by the Cobb-Douglas utility function: U(B, C)=B°C1-a where a = 0.3. (a) Write down the consumer's optimization problem and derive the demand functions for bananas and coconuts. (b) Suppose the initial prices are PB $2 and Pc = = $4, and the consumer's income is I = $100. Calculate the initial quantities of bananas and coconuts consumed. (c) Calculate the compensating variation (CV) and equivalent variation (EV) for a tax rate of t = $0.50. Interpret your results in terms of the impact on consumer welfare. (d) Determine the tax revenue per consumer after the tax is imposed, assuming supply is perfectly elastic so the tax falls entirely on consumers. (e) Compare the impacts on consumer welfare between a flat tax equal to the revenue found in part (d) and the per-unit tax.

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Chapter1: Making Economics Decisions
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2. Consider a small island economy where the government is contemplating imposing a tax on bananas
to raise revenue for public projects. The islanders' utility from consuming bananas (B) and coconuts
(C) is given by the Cobb-Douglas utility function:
U(B, C)=B°C1-a
where a = 0.3.
(a) Write down the consumer's optimization problem and derive the demand functions for bananas
and coconuts.
(b) Suppose the initial prices are PB $2 and Pc
=
= $4, and the consumer's income is I = $100.
Calculate the initial quantities of bananas and coconuts consumed.
(c) Calculate the compensating variation (CV) and equivalent variation (EV) for a tax rate of t =
$0.50. Interpret your results in terms of the impact on consumer welfare.
(d) Determine the tax revenue per consumer after the tax is imposed, assuming supply is perfectly
elastic so the tax falls entirely on consumers.
(e) Compare the impacts on consumer welfare between a flat tax equal to the revenue found in part
(d) and the per-unit tax.
Transcribed Image Text:2. Consider a small island economy where the government is contemplating imposing a tax on bananas to raise revenue for public projects. The islanders' utility from consuming bananas (B) and coconuts (C) is given by the Cobb-Douglas utility function: U(B, C)=B°C1-a where a = 0.3. (a) Write down the consumer's optimization problem and derive the demand functions for bananas and coconuts. (b) Suppose the initial prices are PB $2 and Pc = = $4, and the consumer's income is I = $100. Calculate the initial quantities of bananas and coconuts consumed. (c) Calculate the compensating variation (CV) and equivalent variation (EV) for a tax rate of t = $0.50. Interpret your results in terms of the impact on consumer welfare. (d) Determine the tax revenue per consumer after the tax is imposed, assuming supply is perfectly elastic so the tax falls entirely on consumers. (e) Compare the impacts on consumer welfare between a flat tax equal to the revenue found in part (d) and the per-unit tax.
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