Explain Why the Excess Burden of a Lump-Sum Tax Will

question 11

Essay

Explain why the excess burden of a lump-sum tax will always be zero.Why is the payroll tax not a lump-sum tax? Show how a payroll tax affects the wages paid by employers and received by workers, assuming that it is withheld from their paychecks.Assuming that the supply of labor is not perfectly inelastic, show how the excess burden can be measured.

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Definitions:

Absorption Costing

An accounting method that includes all manufacturing costs - direct materials, direct labor, and both variable and fixed overheads - in the cost of a product.

Full Costs

The complete cost of producing an item or providing a service, including direct, indirect, fixed, and variable costs.

Profitable

Describes a business or activity that generates more revenue than it spends in costs, resulting in a financial gain.

Variable Costing

A costing method that includes only variable production costs—direct materials, direct labor, and variable manufacturing overhead—in product costs.