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A large body of research has found that price elasticity for cigarette demand is about -

Economics

A large body of research has found that price elasticity for cigarette demand is about -.4.

  1. Please explain what this number tells us about the relationship between cigarette price and cigarette consumption.
  2. Is the cigarette demand elastic or inelastic?
  3. If cigarette manufactures increase cigarette prices, what would happen to their sales revenue?
  4. If government imposes a $1 per pack cigarette taxes, what would happen to cigarette retail prices and the amount of cigarettes sold?
  5. Who will bear the burden of the tax increase? Will your answer change depending on supply and demand elasticities? Please explain why?
  6. What are the rationales for government taxing cigarettes?

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Answer to question parts (a) - (d):

a) Price elasticity of cigarette demand is -0.4. The absolute value of price elasticity of demand = 0.4

Price elasticity of demand = (%change in quantity demanded/ % change in price)

The value of PED tells us that % change in quantity demanded < % change in price. It means even if the price of cigarettes rises by a relatively larger amount, consumption falls by relatively smaller amount, and vice versa.

b) The absolute value of price elasticity of demand is less than 1. This means the demand for cigarettes is price inelastic.

C) As the demand is price inelastic, a large increase in price will reduce the quantity demanded by a relatively smaller amount. This will increase the total revenue. The opposite will happen if price decreases.

It means if the cigarette manufacturers increase prices, the sales revenue will increase.

d) The government imposes a $1 per pack cigarette taxes. Both buyers and sellers will bear the tax burden. Therefore, the retail prices of cigarettes will rise by less than $1. Equilibrium quantity of cigarettes sold will decrease because of the increase in price.