The 'merit goods' argument for taxation suggests that:

a) That services such as health and education, should be provided by government as particular users cannot be excluded from benefiting from them.

b) That services such as health and education, should never be provided by government as particular users cannot be excluded from benefiting from them.

c) That services such as health and education, should be provided by government as the private provision of these services would amount to an affront to national sovereignty.

d) That services such as health and education, should either be provided or subsidised by government as market prices paid for them would only reflect benefits that the consumer receives and would not reflect benefits that the wider community receives.