ACT Math : Sales tax
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : How To Find The Amount Of Sales Tax
Beth purchased $21.25 worth of groceries. The sales tax rate is 7.5%. What was her total bill?
$21.93
$23.41
$22.84
$22.11
$23.79
$22.84
The tax is calculated by 0.075 * 21.25 = 1.59375 or $1.59. So the total bill is the cost of items purchased plus tax, which is $21.25 + $1.59 = $22.84.
Example Question #1 : How To Find The Amount Of Sales Tax
The last week of August is tax-free week. If the standard tax rate is 8.25%, how much money would a shopper save buying a $50 dress and a $30 pair of shoes during tax free week?
$7.25
$2.47
$8.00
$6.60
$4.13
$6.60
Tax = Total Cost * 0.0825 = (50 + 30) * 0.0825 = (80) x 0.0825 = 6.6 = $6.60
Example Question #1 : How To Find The Amount Of Sales Tax
If a stick of deodorant costs $4.29 with a sales tax of 8.75%. What will the total cost of the item be?
(round to the nearest cent)
$6.47
$4.66
$4.37
$4.76
$4.67
$4.67
To solve for the tax charged multiply 0.0875 by the sales price of $4.29.
This is $0.375375. Add this to the original amount of $4.29.
The answer is 4.665375. Rounded to the nearest cent is $4.67
Example Question #3 : How To Find The Amount Of Sales Tax
On a grocery shopping trip you spent $15 on meat, $5 on cheese, and $25 on produce. If the total bill was $48.15, what is the rate of sales tax on the food?
7%
0.7%
7.5%
6.5%
0.75%
7%
Tax = Total Bill - Cost of Food = 48.15 – (15 + 5 + 25) = $3.15
Percentage of Tax = Tax / Cost of Food = 3.15/ (15 + 5 + 25) = 3.15 / 45 = 0.07 = 7%
Example Question #81 : Percentage
Regular sales tax is 
Total cost = $120 + $45 + $75 = $240
Cost of Sales Tax = 8.25% ($240) = 0.0825 ($240) = $19.80
Example Question #82 : Percentage
Jim buys a pair of shoes for 
Step 1: Find the amount of tax tax paid
Jim paid 
Jim paid 
Step 2: Figure out the tax rate (What percentage of 
Set up a proportion and solve for 
Therefore, Jim paid an 
Example Question #3 : How To Find The Amount Of Sales Tax
If a given locality charges 
If a given locality charges 
First, convert 
Another way to do this is to multiply 
Example Question #8 : How To Find The Amount Of Sales Tax
Sarah is buying a shirt that she likes. The shirt costs 
To find how much total is payed for an item after sales tax, conver the sales tax to a decimal and add it to 1, then multiply that total to the price of the item.
Example Question #1 : How To Find The Amount Of Sales Tax
Before tax is calculated, Billy's bill at a restaurant is $50.00. If sales tax is 8%, how much tax does he pay?
$4.00
$50.00
$58.00
$8.00
$54.00
$4.00
You evaluate $50.00 x (0.08) = $4.00
Example Question #10 : How To Find The Amount Of Sales Tax
The total cost of a new boat, inclusive of sales tax, was 
The easiest way to do this is to write out the equation as though you were solving from the original price to find the final price. You would know that:
Solving for 
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