Article Summary. In an attempt to discourage smoking, New York City Mayor
Michael Bloomberg proposed a bill which would set a $10.50 minimum price for a
pack of cigarettes. The bill would also prohibit retailers from offering any
discounts such as 2-for-1 offers or accepting discount coupons. New York City
already has the highest cigarette tax in the country, at $5.85 per pack, and the state
of New York is one of many which already require cigarettes be marked up by a
specified percentage. This bill is a companion to one which would require stores to
keep tobacco products hidden from sight. Although the bills are expected to be
challenged in court, a precedent has been set in Rhode Island, where a court
upheld a ruling allowing the city of Providence to forbid retailers from accepting
coupons and offering discounts on cigarettes.
Source: Vivian Yee, “Bloomberg Seeks End to Cheap Cigarettes,” New York Times,
March 26, 2013.
The minimum price of $10.50 per pack of cigarettes being proposed by Mayor
Bloomberg is an example of
A) a price ceiling.
B) a price floor.
C) an economically efficient price.
D) a black market price.
If an airport decides to expand by building an additional passenger terminal, and in
doing so it lowers its average cost per airplane landing, it was previously operating at
A) minimum efficient scale.
B) more than minimum efficient scale.
C) less than minimum efficient scale.
D) minimum capacity.