Assignment: PRICES & Taxes
William R. Allen is an American economist, professor and author. He is known for his authorship of economic literature and has been a nationally syndicated radio commentator, a newspaper columnist, a Los Angeles television commentator and an occasional magazine essayist. From 1978 to 1992, more than 200 radio stations carried daily broadcasts of "The Midnight Economist" written and delivered by Allen.
Here is an excerpt of his broadcast on Prices and Taxes.
Prices and Taxes: The Midnight Economist
In a Word document (double-spaced, 12-point font, 1" margins, 300 to 500 words) fully address any ONE of the following questions for thought and discussion. We are harkening back to our original essay on Sugary Drinks taxes, but now looking at the effects of these taxes on behavior and the communities. Please cite any sources you use.
Here is an article from summer 2017 regarding the projected revenue from the soda tax in Boulder, CO. Rotate clockwise for easy reading!
Boulder Soda Tax page 1
Boulder Soda Tax page 2
Questions for Thought & Discussion:
- How has the tax on sugary drinks effected how people behave? Was this the intention?
- Is this tax progressive, proportionate or regressive and WHY? What are some other similar taxes already in place?
- Do you think the communities will see their predicted revenue from this tax? Why or Why not? And are the revenues directed to the appropriate expenditures?
You may not have the exact answers at the beginning, but you can certainly explore the idea given what you know from your research and the class. I am mostly interested in your learning and iterative thinking about how the sugary drink taxes effect our decisions. Always cite evidence that supports your viewpoints.