# Can consumer surplus be negative if a consumer is forced to make a purchase?

Assume there is a good that a producer sells for $$100$$. A consumer's willingness to pay for that good is $$50$$. However a government program forces consumers to purchase the good irrespective of their willingness to pay (assume budget constraints are not an issue right now). Would this imply their consumer surplus would be $$-50$$?

Or do we reflect the negative consumer surplus as producer surplus (this doesn't make sense to me)?

• "Or do we reflect the negative consumer surplus as producer surplus (this doesn't make sense to me)" Then why are you throwing it out there? – Giskard Apr 17 '19 at 17:58
• I would think so. Because the consumer doesn't want to buy it, forcing him to buy it should be reflected as negative consumer surplus. But it's hard to imagine such a situation. – Vizag Apr 17 '19 at 19:18
• "a producer sells for 100". Does that mean their supply curve is perfectly elastic at 100? Or that their supply curve (which may be upward-sloping) happens to intersect the demand curve at 100? In the latter case if consumers are forced to purchase the good the resulting shift in the demand curve will change the price. – Adam Bailey Apr 18 '19 at 9:55
• @adam Perfectly elastic – Joseph Apr 18 '19 at 19:31