Explain Why Perfectly Competitive Firms Cannot Earn Positive Economic Profits

question 18

Essay

Explain why perfectly competitive firms cannot earn positive economic profits in the long run.

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Definitions:

Support Prices

Government-authorized price levels for agricultural products designed to stabilize farmers' incomes by buying surplus or offering price guarantees.

Ceiling Prices

Maximum legal prices set by governments for essential goods or services, intended to prevent prices from rising above a certain level during shortages or periods of high inflation.

Sales Tax

A tax on sales or on the receipts from sales.

Price Ceiling

A government-imposed limit on how high a price can be charged on a product or service, intended to protect consumers from conditions that could make commodities prohibitively expensive.