Question

g The Ricardian equivalence states that if the government cuts taxes without changing current or future expenditure then: a) households will consume more because the marginal propensity to consume is positive b) households will save more because they will expect higher taxes in the future c) households will consume less because they will acquire the debt issued by the government d) households will save less because the tax multiplier is bigger than 1 e) both (a) and (d) f) both (b) and (c)

Answer 1

Answer:

b) households will save more because they will expect higher taxes in the future

Explanation:

The Ricardian Equivalence proposition is one of the pillars of classical economics, which sadly has proven to not work very well in the real world. According to classical economists, and their quantity theory of money plus the Ricardian Equivalence, recessions do not exist because it is impossible for them to exist. But in the real world, that is not true. Recessions exist, e.g. the US is in a recession since the first quarter of 2020 (even before the current health crisis). When real people lose their jobs or are afraid to lose their jobs, their spending habits change.

On the other hand, when real people get a tax refund or tax cut, they generally spend it, they will not save it to pay future taxes. That is why car sales increase during February after checks form the IRS are handed out.

Theoretically, classical economics is great. The problem is that we are human beings, and as such, our behavior cannot be controlled or determined by what we should or should not do. This is exactly why the velocity of money (quantitative theory of money) is not constant.