Question 9 of 15intermediate🔧 ApplyNumerical4 marks

Suppose marginal propensity to consume is 0.75 and there is a 20 per cent proportional income tax. Find the change in equilibrium income for the following (a) Government purchases increase by 20 (b) Transfers decrease by 20.

(a)
Answer

Change in equilibrium income = 50 (increase)

(b)
Answer

Change in equilibrium income = -37.5 (decrease)

Explanation

With proportional income tax, the multiplier formulas change because consumption rises by c(1-t) times the increase in income, not just c times. The government expenditure multiplier becomes 1/[1-c(1-t)] and the transfer multiplier becomes c/[1-c(1-t)]. The transfer multiplier is smaller because only a portion (c) of the transfer is spent initially, whereas government spending enters the economy fully in the first round.