Cigarettes in Australia have long been subject to excise tax – a per cigarette tax levied on the suppliers of cigarettes. (The tax applies to all tobacco products, however for the purposes of this exam assume cigarette and tobacco consumption are the same thing). In 2016 the federal government announced that the excise tax rate for cigarettes would rise by 12.5% a year for the next 4 years. Over this period tax revenue collected from the sale of cigarettes has increased considerably. Legal cigarette consumption has fallen to an all-time low in Australia due to a combination of the tax on cigarettes, and public health initiatives such as plain packaging, health warnings and banning advertisements.
Consider the following two policies aimed at reducing cigarette smoking:
i. A tax on the suppliers of cigarettes, and
ii. The public health campaign initiatives.
(a) Illustrate the implications of both policies separately using a fully labelled and explained demand and supply diagram for each of parts (i) and (ii). Do not use actual numbers; this is intended as a theoretical exercise.
(b) Compare and contrast the impact on equilibrium price and quantity of cigarettes of each of these policies, explaining your answer with reference to the diagrams.
(c) Now assume that the federal government implements both policies at the same time. Consider the impact of both policies on government revenue. Explain your answer with appropriate diagrams and indicate the area on the diagram/s that represents government revenue. What are the key assumptions you have made in analysing government revenue?
