In May and June of 2008, the federal government issued one-time tax rebates - checks returning a small portion of taxes previously paid to millions of U.S residents, and U.S. real disposable income temporarily jumped by nearly $500 billion. Household real consumption spending did not increase in response to the short-lived increase in real disposable income. Explain how the logic of the permanent income hypothesis might help to account for this apparent non relationship between real consumption and real disposable income in the late spring of 2008.

Short Answer

Expert verified

Real consumption expenditure has not grown in response to the temporary gain in real disposable income.

Step by step solution

01

Introduction 

The given is the details on the one-time tax rebates checks issued by the federal government

The objective is to explain the logic of permanent income hypothesis

02

Step 1

The permanent income hypothesis states that an individual's consumption flows are determined by his or her permanent income, which is nothing more than the expected long-term average income.

This logic may help to explain the apparent non relationship between real consumption and real disposable income in late spring 2008.

03

Step 2

Temporary increases in income have little impact on long-term average income and consequently have little impact on overall consumption spending.

In the spring of 2008, a similar event occurred when the government offered tax rebates.

04

Step 3

The rise in discretionary income is essentially transitory because these rebates are one-time measures. With little change in predicted long-term average income or permanent income, there has been no impact on consumption spending, and so real consumption expenditure has not grown as a result of the temporary gain in real disposable income.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Determine whether each of the following is an example of a situation in which a direct expenditure offset to fiscal policy occurs.

a. In an effort to help rejuvenate the nation's railroad system, a new government agency buys unused track, locomotives, and passenger and freight cars, many of which private companies would otherwise have purchased and put into regular use.

b. The government increases its expenditures without raising taxes. To cover the resulting budget deficit, it borrows more funds from the private sector, thereby pushing up the market interest rate and discouraging private planned investment spending.

c. The government finances the construction of a classical music museum that otherwise would never have received private funding.

Consider the diagram below, in which the current short-run equilibrium is at point A, and answer the questions that follow.

a. What type of gap exists at point A?

b. If the marginal propensity to save equals 0.02, what change in government spending financed by borrowing from the private sector could eliminate the gap identified in part (a)? Explain.

Describe how certain aspects of fiscal policy function as automatic stabilizers for the economy

Suppose that Congress enacts a significant tax cut with the expectation that this action will stimulate aggregate demand and push up real GDP in the short run. In fact, however, neither real GDP nor the price level changes significantly as a result of the tax cut. What might account for this outcome?

1. How does unemployment compensation function as an automatic stabilizer?

See all solutions

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free