PRICE FLOOR: A legally established minimum price. Pressured by special interest groups, our beloved government is often convinced that the price of a good needs to be kept at a higher level. Examples of goods that have had price floors bestowed upon them include farm products and workers. The argument in both of these examples is that suppliers aren't getting enough income for the stuff they sell (food or labor). A higher price is then expected to generate more income to these deserving souls. Unfortunately, price floors tend to create as many or more problems than they solve. They create inefficient surpluses.

     See also | market | price | regulation | surplus | minimum wage | price ceiling | minimum wage |