Question 1

In the U.S., the progressive income-tax system substantially redistributes income.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

Government purchases of goods and services are

Accepted Answer

A)  nonexhaustive because they do not directly absorb resources and account for production. 
B)  exhaustive because they directly absorb or employ resources and account for production. 
C)  both exhaustive and nonexhaustive because in some cases they do directly absorb resources or account for production and in other cases they do not. 
D)  neither exhaustive nor nonexhaustive because of the tax revenues that finance these purchases. 
A)  nonexhaustive because they do not directly absorb resources and account for production. 
B)  exhaustive because they directly absorb or employ resources and account for production. 
C)  both exhaustive and nonexhaustive because in some cases they do directly absorb resources or account for production and in other cases they do not. 
D)  neither exhaustive nor nonexhaustive because of the tax revenues that finance these purchases.

Question 3

In general, the buyers will tend to pay a bigger share of a tax on a good when

Accepted Answer

A)  the price elasticities of supply and demand are low. 
B)  the price elasticities of supply and demand are high. 
C)  the price elasticity of supply is low and the price elasticity of demand is high. 
D)  the price elasticity of supply is high and the price elasticity of demand is low. 
A)  the price elasticities of supply and demand are low. 
B)  the price elasticities of supply and demand are high. 
C)  the price elasticity of supply is low and the price elasticity of demand is high. 
D)  the price elasticity of supply is high and the price elasticity of demand is low.

Question 4

Which of the following statements about state lotteries is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  State lotteries are monopolies, with competing private lotteries banned. 
B)  State lotteries are highly controversial, with critics and defenders still debating their merits. 
C)  Fewer than half of the states in the U.S. have state lotteries because of their controversial nature. 
D)  The payout rates of state lotteries are substantially lower than in private betting operations like casinos. 
A)  State lotteries are monopolies, with competing private lotteries banned. 
B)  State lotteries are highly controversial, with critics and defenders still debating their merits. 
C)  Fewer than half of the states in the U.S. have state lotteries because of their controversial nature. 
D)  The payout rates of state lotteries are substantially lower than in private betting operations like casinos.

Question 5

The tax rates embodied in the federal personal income tax are such that

Accepted Answer

A)  a rising absolute amount, but a declining proportion, of income is paid in taxes. 
B)  the marginal and average tax rates are equal, making the tax progressive. 
C)  the average tax rate rises more rapidly than does the marginal tax rate as income rises. 
D)  the marginal tax rate is higher than the average tax rate, causing the average tax rate to rise as income rises. 
A)  a rising absolute amount, but a declining proportion, of income is paid in taxes. 
B)  the marginal and average tax rates are equal, making the tax progressive. 
C)  the average tax rate rises more rapidly than does the marginal tax rate as income rises. 
D)  the marginal tax rate is higher than the average tax rate, causing the average tax rate to rise as income rises.

Question 6

About two-thirds of all federal spending is for national defense.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

The basic tax rate on taxable corporate income is

Accepted Answer

A)  15 percent. 
B)  22 percent. 
C)  35 percent. 
D)  52 percent. 
A)  15 percent. 
B)  22 percent. 
C)  35 percent. 
D)  52 percent.

Question 8

In 2013, U.S. governments (local, state, and federal) employed approximately how many million workers?

Accepted Answer

A)  16.0 
B)  19.4 
C)  21.9 
D)  23.5 
A)  16.0 
B)  19.4 
C)  21.9 
D)  23.5

Question 9

The federal payroll (Social Security) tax

Accepted Answer

A)  increases the progressivity of the federal tax system. 
B)  offsets some of the progressivity of the federal tax system. 
C)  offsets some of the regressivity of the federal tax system. 
D)  decreases the proportionality of the federal tax system. 
A)  increases the progressivity of the federal tax system. 
B)  offsets some of the progressivity of the federal tax system. 
C)  offsets some of the regressivity of the federal tax system. 
D)  decreases the proportionality of the federal tax system.

Question 10

The largest portion of federal employees work in the national defense sector.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

The interest on public debt is more than 10 percent of federal government expenditures.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

The U.S. federal expenditures for "pensions and income security" are dominated by

Accepted Answer

A)  housing subsidies. 
B)  unemployment benefits. 
C)  food stamps. 
D)  Social Security payments. 
A)  housing subsidies. 
B)  unemployment benefits. 
C)  food stamps. 
D)  Social Security payments.

Question 13

In 2013, the largest portion of federal employees were in which of the following sectors?

Accepted Answer

A)  education and health care 
B)  police and natural resources 
C)  postal service and national defense 
D)  judicial, police, and administration 
A)  education and health care 
B)  police and natural resources 
C)  postal service and national defense 
D)  judicial, police, and administration

Question 14

"Deficit spending" refers to a situation where the government

Accepted Answer

A)  spends borrowed funds. 
B)  collects more tax revenues than it spends. 
C)  does not need to borrow funds. 
D)  is spending less than the year before. 
A)  spends borrowed funds. 
B)  collects more tax revenues than it spends. 
C)  does not need to borrow funds. 
D)  is spending less than the year before.

Question 15

The more inelastic are demand and supply, the

Accepted Answer

A)  larger is the efficiency loss of an excise tax. 
B)  smaller is the efficiency loss of an excise tax. 
C)  higher is the proportion of an excise tax paid by consumers. 
D)  smaller is the proportion of an excise tax paid by producers. 
A)  larger is the efficiency loss of an excise tax. 
B)  smaller is the efficiency loss of an excise tax. 
C)  higher is the proportion of an excise tax paid by consumers. 
D)  smaller is the proportion of an excise tax paid by producers.

Question 16

Suppose that government imposes a specific excise tax on product X of $2 per unit and that the price elasticity of supply of X is unitary (coefficient = 1). If the incidence of the tax is such that the producers of X pay $1.90 of the tax and the consumers pay $.10, we can conclude that the

Accepted Answer

A)  supply of X is highly inelastic. 
B)  supply of X is highly elastic. 
C)  demand for X is highly inelastic. 
D)  demand for X is highly elastic. 
A)  supply of X is highly inelastic. 
B)  supply of X is highly elastic. 
C)  demand for X is highly inelastic. 
D)  demand for X is highly elastic.

Question 17

The largest category of federal government expenditures is national defense.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

Suppose that government imposes a specific excise tax on product X of $2 per unit and that the price elasticity of supply of X is unitary (coefficient = 1). If the incidence of the tax is such that the consumers of X pay $1.85 of the tax and the producers pay $0.15, we can conclude that the

Accepted Answer

A)  supply of X is highly inelastic. 
B)  supply of X is highly elastic. 
C)  demand for X is highly inelastic. 
D)  demand for X is highly elastic. 
A)  supply of X is highly inelastic. 
B)  supply of X is highly elastic. 
C)  demand for X is highly inelastic. 
D)  demand for X is highly elastic.

Question 19

The so-called Tax Freedom Day of each year recognizes the day that

Accepted Answer

A)  the federal government requires taxpayers to submit their taxes to the Internal Revenue Service. 
B)  charitable contributions were made legal under the tax codes of the United States government. 
C)  the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that double taxation of income was illegal for corporations and businesses. 
D)  the average worker had earned enough income to pay his or her share of government spending for that year. 
A)  the federal government requires taxpayers to submit their taxes to the Internal Revenue Service. 
B)  charitable contributions were made legal under the tax codes of the United States government. 
C)  the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that double taxation of income was illegal for corporations and businesses. 
D)  the average worker had earned enough income to pay his or her share of government spending for that year.

Question 20

Social Security contributions are part of

Accepted Answer

A)  excise taxes. 
B)  payroll taxes. 
C)  reverse taxes. 
D)  indirect taxes. 
A)  excise taxes. 
B)  payroll taxes. 
C)  reverse taxes. 
D)  indirect taxes.

Exam 20: Public Finance: Expenditures and Taxes

In the U.S., the progressive income-tax system substantially redistributes income.

Government purchases of goods and services are

In general, the buyers will tend to pay a bigger share of a tax on a good when

Which of the following statements about state lotteries is false?

The tax rates embodied in the federal personal income tax are such that

About two-thirds of all federal spending is for national defense.

The basic tax rate on taxable corporate income is

In 2013, U.S. governments (local, state, and federal) employed approximately how many million workers?

The federal payroll (Social Security) tax

The largest portion of federal employees work in the national defense sector.

The interest on public debt is more than 10 percent of federal government expenditures.

The U.S. federal expenditures for "pensions and income security" are dominated by

In 2013, the largest portion of federal employees were in which of the following sectors?

"Deficit spending" refers to a situation where the government

The more inelastic are demand and supply, the

Suppose that government imposes a specific excise tax on product X of $2 per unit and that the price elasticity of supply of X is unitary (coefficient = 1). If the incidence of the tax is such that the producers of X pay $1.90 of the tax and the consumers pay $.10, we can conclude that the

The largest category of federal government expenditures is national defense.

Suppose that government imposes a specific excise tax on product X of $2 per unit and that the price elasticity of supply of X is unitary (coefficient = 1). If the incidence of the tax is such that the consumers of X pay $1.85 of the tax and the producers pay $0.15, we can conclude that the

The so-called Tax Freedom Day of each year recognizes the day that

Social Security contributions are part of

Limits, Alternatives, and Choices

The Market System and the Circular Flow

Demand, Supply, and Market Equilibrium

Market Failures: Public Goods and Externalities

Governments Role and Government Failure

Elasticity

Utility Maximization

Behavioral Economics

Businesses and the Costs of Production

Pure Competition in the Short Run

Pure Competition in the Long Run

Pure Monopoly

Monopolistic Competition

Oligopoly and Strategic Behavior

Technology, Rd, and Efficiency

The Demand for Resources

Wage Determination

Rent, Interest, and Profit

Natural Resource and Energy Economics

Antitrust Policy and Regulation

Agriculture: Economics and Policy

Income Inequality, Poverty, and Discrimination

Health Care

Immigration

International Trade

The Balance of Payments, Exchange Rates, and Trade Deficits

The Economics of Developing Countries

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