A "vice tax" can suppress demand for a product or service that is not wholly in the public's favor by making it more expensive. The country of Balbonia wished to duplicate Geraldia's success in using a vice tax to reduce the sales of nicotine products, such as cigarettes. When Balbonia introduced the same tax into its market, however, demand for nicotine products remained undiminished, even though the currency-adjusted prices of nicotine in Balbonia rose to levels equivalent to those in Geraldia.
Which of the following, if true, most