ECO 204 Week 4

ECO 204 Week 4 Quiz

Discussion Questions

It has been proposed that toll collection on the Massachusetts Turnpike, a key commuter route into Boston from the west, be discontinued. Proponents argue that tolls have long ago paid for the cost of building the road; now they just provide cash for tax bureaucracy. A number of economists are opposing the repeal of tolls on the grounds that they serve to internalize externalities. Explain this argument and discuss why the government often gets involved when finding solutions for externalities.

Suppose a special tax was introduced that used the value of ones automobile as the tax base. Each person would pay taxes equal to 10 percent of the value of his or her car. Would the tax be proportional, progressive, or regressive? What assumptions do you make in answering this question? Do you think the tax that was imposed either efficient or equitable?