The Forgotten Man, and Other EssaysSumner, William Graham
Science
The Forgotten Man, and Other Essays
Sumner, William Graham
Economics; Social sciences
144. Obviously this deduction is arithmetically incorrect, even on
the hypothesis. In the first place, the government has not obtained
$5 revenue which it needed, but $2.50 (5 cents on 50 yards). In the
second place, the foreigner sells at $1.02½ (net 97½) the silk which
he used to sell for $1. He therefore gets back from the consumers 2½
cents per yard on 50 yards, or $1.25 out of the $2.50 which he has paid
to the government. Also, the domestic silk to compete must be equal
to the dollar imported silk which now sells for $1.02½. Hence, the
consumers really pay in protection only 2½ cents on 50 yards, _i.e._
$1.25. This case, then, is, that the foreigner pays $1.25 revenue,
and the consumers pay $1.25 revenue and $1.25 protection. Hence the
result is not at all what is asserted, and there is no such operation
of the contrivance as was expected. But the government needs $2.50
more revenue, the operation of its tax having been interfered with by
protection. As there is no equivalence or compensation in the case as
it already stands, it is evident that the effect of any further tax,
instead of bringing about equivalence or compensation, will be to
depart from such a result still further.
145. It is, however, impossible to admit assumptions 3, 4, and 5 above,
or to deal with any economic problem by any arithmetical process. The
result above reached is totally incorrect and only serves to clear the
ground for a correct analysis. The producer may have to bear part of a
tax, if he is under the tax jurisdiction, or if he has a monopoly. If
he has no monopoly, and is not under the tax jurisdiction, and works
for the world’s market, he cannot lower his price in order to assume
part of the tax. What he does is that he differentiates his commodity.
This is the fact in the art of production which is established by
abundant experience. It is the explanation of the constant complaint,
under the protective system, of “fraud” and of the constant demand for
subclassification in the tariff schedules. The protected product never
is, at least at first, as good in quality as the imported article which
it aims to supersede. Hence the foreigner, if he desires to retain the
protected market, can prepare a special quality for that market. The
“silk” after the tax is laid is not the same silk as before. It nets to
the foreign producer 97½ cents, and pays him business profits at that
price. Therefore when he sells it at $1.02½ he gets back the whole tax
from the consumers. The domestic silk sold at $1.02½ is no better than
might have been obtained for 97½ cents. Hence the consumers are paying
a tax for protection which is full and equal to the revenue rate. The
fact that the price has fallen to $1.02½, and is not $1.05, evidently
proves that instead of disproving it, as many believe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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