Information and IdeasVery hardFinding weakening a claim about a tax
Information and Ideas practice question
A council claims that its new tax on sugary drinks caused a fall in the amount of those drinks sold in the town.
Which finding, if true, would most directly weaken the council's claim?
- A. Sales of sugary drinks fell by the same amount in neighbouring towns that introduced no tax, after a national campaign against sugar.Correct
- B. Shopkeepers in the town say the tax is unpopular.
- C. The price of sugary drinks in the town rose after the tax.
- D. Sales of sugar-free drinks in the town rose over the same period.
Answer: A. Sales of sugary drinks fell by the same amount in neighbouring towns that introduced no tax, after a national campaign against sugar.
If sales fell equally where there was no tax, the fall has another cause — the campaign — and the tax isn't needed to explain it.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. Shopkeepers in the town say the tax is unpopular.
- Unpopularity doesn't bear on whether the tax caused the fall.
- C. The price of sugary drinks in the town rose after the tax.
- A price rise is how the tax would work; it supports the claim.
- D. Sales of sugar-free drinks in the town rose over the same period.
- A switch to sugar-free drinks is consistent with the tax working.
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