The State of Florida Is Considering Putting an Excise Tax

question 81

Essay

The state of Florida is considering putting an excise tax on either good X or good Y. An economist discovers the supply of good X is more elastic than the supply of good Y, while the demand elasticities are identical. Which good should Florida tax in order to minimize the deadweight loss of the tax?

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Definitions:

Advocacy Groups

Organizations that aim to influence public policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions.

Climbing the Agenda

The process of prioritizing issues or topics to gain attention or resources within an organization or society.

501(c)(3)

A section of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code that provides a tax exemption for nonprofit organizations that are charitable, religious, educational, scientific, or literary in nature.

Lobbying

The act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in a government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.