Taxes and Regulation
Guiding Questions
- What if the tax or regulation was not there, how would the marketplace look?
- How does the power of government to tax relate to the freedom of action of the citizen?
Objectives
Students will explore the purpose of taxation.
- tax
- redistribution
Have students review Handouts A-C on thier own or in small groups. Ask them what questions they have upon review.
Taxes and Regulations Activity: Analyzing Taxes and Regulations
Work through Handout A: Graphing and Analyzing the Effects of Taxes as a class to instruct students on graph and analyze taxes. Then pass out Handout B: Graphing Taxes and have students complete the graphs individually or in groups. Review the answers as a whole group.
Next, have students complete Handout C: Graphing and Analyzing the Effects of Regulations. Review the answers as a whole group.
Extend
As a closing activity or an extension activity have students talk to their parents about a tax or regulation. Then have students think about: “What if the tax or regulation was not there, how would the marketplace look?” and draw a graph of the marketplace without the government tax or regulation and then with the added tax or regulation.
Then have the student answer the following questions: Who benefits? Who does not benefit? Students can present to the class their individual government tax or regulation analysis or the teacher can call on a few students to present.