Question

A government is torn between selling annual pollution allowances and setting an annual pollution tax. Unlike in the messy real world, this government is quite certain that it can achieve the same price and quantity either way. It wants to choose the method that will pull in more government tax revenue. Is selling allowances better for revenues or is setting a pollution tax better, or will both raise exactly the same amount of revenue

Answer 1

Answer: Both will raise the same amount

Explanation:

The government here is certain that it can achieve the same quantity and price regardless of if it uses a pollution tax or pollution allowance. This means that it would be charging the companies the same regardless of the method used.

Both methods would therefore yield the same amount if the government uses either of them.