Including a 6% sales tax, a paperback book costs $8.43. What is the price before tax?

Question

I have no clue why I'm having such a hard time with this... Work/explanation greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

The price is 100%

If you add sales tax you get 106%

So $8.43 = 106%

So price x 106% = 8.43

So 8.43/106% = price

Answer 2

PM is WRONG!!!!!!
the 6% tax is taken according to the initial price, not the final price with tax (it should make no sense to tax the tax) The 6% tax is taken from the initial price, which is why subtracting 6% of the $8.43 is WRONG!


1.06x = 8.43
(this reads as: 106% of what initial price equals to $8.43?)

x = 8.43/ 1.06
x = 7.95
the initial price is $7.95

update!
katrina2971 and terra T are also wrong!
sandra G is wrong as well, she gave the wrong method, and when the math is done, you get $7.92. For some reason she plugged in the correct answer instead.

Answer 3

$7.92 is the price before tax-

1% of $8.43 = 8.43 x 6 + 50.58. Round this up to 51 and take it away from the original price of $8.43 hope this helps.

Answer 4

Do your own homework. Here's a start:

1.06x=8.43

Answer 5

$7.95

$8.43 / 1.06 = $7.95

1.06 is the original price (100%) plus sales tax (6%).

Answer 6

$7.95

8.43 x 94% (you get the 94 by subtracting the 6% from 100)

to check 7.95 x 6% = .48 (rounded to the nearest whole penny), 7.95+.48 = 8.43

Answer 7

$8.43 times 6% = ___
$8.43 minus ___ = price before tax

Answer 8

Don't feel bad--it can be mentally tricky.
The easy way is to divide $8.43 by 1.06

Answer 9

Think of it like this:
say x is price of book:
x + 0.06*x = 8.43 where 0.06x is the tax
1.06x = 8.43
x = 8.43/1.06
about 7.95

Answer 10

8.43 - (.06 * 8.43) =
8.43 - .5058 =
8.43 - .51 =
7.92