Willy the Worker has unavoidable personal commitments taking 8 hours per day. He can choose to work or to play (i.e., take leisure, a normal good) in the remaining hours. Being a graduate in Economics, he can charge $100 per hour for his consulting services when he chooses to work. The government's income tax system has a 0% tax rate for daily incomes from $0 to $ $600 per day; above $600 per day, the tax rate is 20%. Willy has a certain Utility Function U(L, I) where L = leisure playtime and I = Income. His Marginal Rate of Substitution is known to be derived from this equation: MRSL/I=2I/L. (Note that the "price" of Income is $1.) Willy thinks he pays enough taxes via the excise taxes on things he buys. So he decides to work the maximum number of hours he can without paying any income taxes. According to our Indifference Theory model, is Willy maximizing his satisfaction with his "no tax" choice, or should he work fewer hours?

Microeconomics: Private and Public Choice (MindTap Course List)
16th Edition
ISBN:9781305506893
Author:James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Russell S. Sobel, David A. Macpherson
Publisher:James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Russell S. Sobel, David A. Macpherson
Chapter15: Income Inequality And Poverty
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 7CQ
icon
Related questions
Question

Willy the Worker has unavoidable personal commitments taking 8 hours per day. He can choose to work or to play (i.e., take leisure, a normal good) in the remaining hours. Being a graduate in Economics, he can charge $100 per hour for his consulting services when he chooses to work. The government's income tax system has a 0% tax rate for daily incomes from $0 to $ $600 per day; above $600 per day, the tax rate is 20%. Willy has a certain Utility Function U(L, I) where L = leisure playtime and I = Income. His Marginal Rate of Substitution is known to be derived from this equation: MRSL/I=2I/L. (Note that the "price" of Income is $1.)

Willy thinks he pays enough taxes via the excise taxes on things he buys. So he decides to work the maximum number of hours he can without paying any income taxes. According to our Indifference Theory model, is Willy maximizing his satisfaction with his "no tax" choice, or should he work fewer hours?

 

Expert Solution
steps

Step by step

Solved in 5 steps

Blurred answer
Knowledge Booster
Tax Rates
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, economics and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.
Similar questions
  • SEE MORE QUESTIONS
Recommended textbooks for you
Microeconomics: Private and Public Choice (MindTa…
Microeconomics: Private and Public Choice (MindTa…
Economics
ISBN:
9781305506893
Author:
James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Russell S. Sobel, David A. Macpherson
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
Economics: Private and Public Choice (MindTap Cou…
Economics: Private and Public Choice (MindTap Cou…
Economics
ISBN:
9781305506725
Author:
James D. Gwartney, Richard L. Stroup, Russell S. Sobel, David A. Macpherson
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
Microeconomics
Microeconomics
Economics
ISBN:
9781337617406
Author:
Roger A. Arnold
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
Economics (MindTap Course List)
Economics (MindTap Course List)
Economics
ISBN:
9781337617383
Author:
Roger A. Arnold
Publisher:
Cengage Learning
Macroeconomics
Macroeconomics
Economics
ISBN:
9781337617390
Author:
Roger A. Arnold
Publisher:
Cengage Learning