Government Regulation

Learn more about the different forms of government regulation prepared by our JC Economics Tutor Simon Ng from Economicsfocus that are used to protect the interests of consumers and producers. For instance, governments can introduce taxation, subsidies, price ceiling and price floor. Application of such regulatory measures will impact the consumers and producers surpluses accordingly.

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Definition

What is price regulation?

-Price regulation is a policy of setting maximum or minimum prices by a government agency, legal statute or regulatory authority.

What is price ceiling?

-A maximum price set artificially by the government of firms so that goods are bought and sold at that price level which is below the market equilibrium price level.

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-When the price is set at PC, there is a fall in quantity supplied from Q0 to Q1 and an increase in quantity demanded from Q0 to Q2, creating an excess demand condition. The government will have to replenish the shortage from the buffer stock, failing to do so, it will have to conduct rationing to solve the disequilibrium condition. The rationing will be done through several system of distribution like the first-come-first serve, social aims or meritocratic system

-Black market condition will evolve for the quantity set at PC which will contribute a rise in the price from PC to PBM if the quantity supplied at Q1 can be re-sold

-Consumer surplus can only be attained for those who can buy the goods at the price level at PC but consumers will have to buy at PBM, there will be a loss of consumer surplus for these consumers

What is floor price?

-Minimum price set artificially so that goods are bought and sold at that price level which is above the market equilibrium price level

-When the price is set at PF, there will be an increase in quantity supplied from Q0 to Q2, and a reduction in quantity demanded from Q0 to Q1. Consequently, there will be an excess supply condition

-For the labour market, the excess supply of labour will contribute to unemployment and thus, the minimum wage scheme is not favoured by trade union

-For the resource market, the excess supply condition will be a loss to the producer if goods are perishable as the government cannot buy up excess stock. The floor price will not work for the producers if there is a reduction in supply which means the government’s subsidy will be lesser and the total revenue for producers will be reduced.

What is direct tax?

-Direct tax is directly levied by the authorities on the consumers

What is indirect tax?

-Indirect tax is tax levied by the authorities on producers. The producers can then pass on the burden of the tax to the consumers.

a) Specific tax, or per unit tax, is a constant tax amount levied on per unit of goods sold. It causes a parallel shift of the supply curve up and to the left.

b) Ad valorem tax, a percentage tax, takes a percentage of the price of good concerned. It changes as the price of good changes. It changes the slope of the curve as the curve pivots anti-clockwise upwards.

c) Lump sum tax is a fixed amount of tax regardless of the amount of quantity.

What is tax incidence?

-Tax incidence refers to the distribution of tax burden between the consumers and producers

What is consumer tax burden?

-Tax incidence that falls on the consumers

What is producer tax burden?

-Tax incidence that falls on the producers

-Tax burden falls entirely on producers when supply is perfectly inelastic and when demand is perfectly elastic.

How does the government set minimum price?

-The minimum price is set above the market equilibrium and producers are prohibited from selling below that stipulated price.

Why do government impose floor price?

-protect the income of producers from falling

-create surplus which can be stored in preparation for future shortages

-prevent workers income from falling below a satisfactory level

What are the factors that will affect the effectiveness of floor price?

-elasticity of demand and supply of the good

What are the problems with floor price?

-With the surpluses, government will have to sell them abroad, buy up the surpluses or destroy them. Surpluses reflect serious misallocation of resources in the country.

-Financing surpluses will impose heavy burden on taxpayers

-High prices may induce inefficiency. Producers are less motivated to look for cheaper and more efficient methods of production.

How does the government set maximum price?

-A maximum price is set below the market equilibrium price and producers are prohibited from selling above that stipulated price.

Why do government impose price ceiling?

-A price ceiling is usually imposed with the aim of achieving some form of equity or to protect consumers in times of crisis.

What are the factors that will affect the effectiveness of price ceiling?

-Elasticity of demand and supply of the good

What are the problems with price ceiling?

-Occurrence of black market

What is ad valorem tax?

-A tax based on the assessed value of real estate or personal property. -Ad valorem taxes can be property tax or even duty on imported items.

What is subsidy?

-Subsidy is a payment to the producers by the government. It lowers the cost of production by shifting supply curve down and to the right.

What is specific subsidy or per unit subsidy?

-Specific subsidy is a constant subsidy amount given per unit of goods sold. It causes a parallel shift of the supply curve downwards and to the right.

What is Ad Valorem or percentage subsidy?

-Ad Valorem subsidies a percentage of the price of good concerned. It changes as the price of good changes. It causes a pivoted shift of the supply curve in the clockwise direction.

What is lump sum subsidy?

-A fixed amount of subsidy regardless of the amount of quantity.

What is consumer surplus?

-Consumer surplus is the difference between the maximum amount that consumers are willing to pay for a given quantity of good and what they actually pay (equilibrium price).


What is producer surplus?

-Producer surplus is the difference between the amount received by producers and the minimum amount that they are willing and able to accept for supplying the good.

What is deadweight loss?

-Deadweight loss is the sum of consumer and producer welfare (surplus) loss when there are allocative inefficiencies as a result of the restriction of