Suppose the market for cigarette is competitive. An economist estimates the price elasticity of demand and supply for cigarette are -0.8 and 0.7 respectively. Suppose the government imposes a per-unit tax of $45 Some economists believe that a sales tax, in general, is undesirable. Explain. Despite this, why do most countries still impose a tax on cigarette? Explain plausible arguments.

Governments often attempt to boost the income of some agricultural producers with a variety of policies. We will discuss this in depth later in the course, but two approaches often discussed in introductory economics courses are quotas and production subsidies. Using basic supply and demand analysis, discuss how these policies work with emphasis on their similarities and differences. Does the elasticity of demand matter when comparing the policies?

What is the impact of government failure on the price elasticities of demand? What is the impact of government failure on the price elasticities of supply?

Suppose that the long-run price elasticity of demand for gasoline is 0.55. Assume that the price of gasoline is currently $4.00 per gallon, the quantity of gasoline is 140 billion gallons per year, and the federal government decides to increase the excise tax on gasoline by $1.00 per gallon. Suppose that in the long run the price of gasoline increases by $0.70 per gallon after the $1.00 excise tax is imposed. a. Using the midpoint formula, after the tax is imposed, the new quantity of gasoline demanded is year. (Enter your response rounded to two decimal places.) billion gallons per