Glendale Community The Tax Game Discussion

1. Play the Tax Game available online at

http://econ.glendale.edu/index.php (Links to an external site.)

It is a simulation in which you are the tax dictator for a mythical country. You must collect enough revenue—but not too much—for your government by adjusting a number of different tax rates, caps and deductions. When you collected sufficient revenue, the game will tell you the tax incidence. That is the impact of your tax choices on different income groups ranging from the bottom 20% to the top 1%. The game also will report the Gini Coefficient. 

See the reading on Canvas about taxes and the Gini coefficient

You will be asked to readjust you tax choices so that you are satisfied with your tax incidence. There is no correct answer to the game; each of you will differ in your political perspective and how you choose your tax rates. However, I will ask you to justify each of your tax choices as well as the overall tax incidence.

a)  For each of the taxes, explain the choice you made for the tax rates. Please make certain that you explain each number that you chose.

b) How did each tax affect your desire for a progressive or regressive tax incidence?