Sunday, August 07, 2011

[jhhlelkf] Smoking tax

What is the optimal value of the tax on cigarettes, such that the tax revenue exactly offsets their net social cost (health care, early death, increased productivity caused by the stimulant)?

Of course, the net social cost may be extremely difficult to calculate.  Do we have bounds?  Is it sensitive to certain difficult to measure quantities (details of second hand smoke propagation)?

Does the current tax rate fall within the estimated bounds?

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