Question

Gladed Assignment Attempts: Average:/2 6. Who should pay the tax? The following graph shows the labor market for research assistants in the fictional country of Collegia. The equilibrium wage is $10 per hour, and the equilibrium number of research assistants is 100. Suppose the government has decided to institute a $4-per-hour payroll tax on research assistants and is trying to determine whether the tax should be levied on the employer, the workers, or both (such that half the tax is collected from each side). Use the graph input tool to evaluate these three proposals. Entering a number into the Tax Levied on Employers field (initially set at zero dollars per hour) shifts the demand curve down by the amount you enter, and entering a number into the Tax Levied on Workers field (initially set at zero dollars per hour) shifts the supply curve up by the amount you enter. To determine the before-tax wage for each tax proposal, adjust the amount in the Wage field until the quantity of labor supplied equals the quantity of labor demanded. You will not be graded on any changes you make to this graph. Note: Once you enter a value in a white field, the graph and any corresponding amounts in each grey field will change accordingly Graph Input Tool Market for Research Assistants 20

Answer 1

The given table may be filled up as follows: After-Tax Wage Paid by Employens (Dollars per hour) After-Tax Wage Received by Workers (Dollars per hour) Tax Proposal Levied on Employers Levied on Workers Quantity Hired (Number of workers) Dollars per hour) (Dollars per hour) 50 50 50 12 12 12 Each of the three proposals yield the same result. Therefore, none of the proposals is better than the others