Economic Issues and Policy 6th Edition by Jacqueline Murray Brux

Exercise 1

Why does the government place excise taxes on goods such as cigarettes and alcohol? Is it because these products are "sinful"? (These taxes are often called "sin taxes.") Do you believe that excise taxes reduce consumption of these goods by very much? What does your response to the previous question imply regarding the amount of government excise tax revenue?
previous question:
Should the Social Security tax be overhauled to reduce its regressivity? Why or why not? How might this be done?