Tax Question: Three Men in a Motel Room?

Question

Three Men register for a Motel/Hotel room. The desk clerk charges them
$ 30.00 for the room. They all chip in $ 10.00 a piece. The three walk into the room and prepare to sleep.

A half hour later, the desk clerk realized he made a mistake and should have charged them $ 9.00 a piece. So the desk clerk gives the bellhop 5 dollar bills.
He directs the bellhop to give the three that rented the room $ 1.00 dollar a piece and keep the remaining $ 2.00 for yourself.

Tax Question: After returning the three dollars to the three men, their actual cost for the room became $ 27.00. $ 2.00 went to the bellhop which totals
$ 29.00. What happened to the other dollar?

Answer 1

This isn't a tax question, but I welcome a diversion. :-)

The key to turning this into a riddle is in the punchline. By phrasing it as: "The men paid $27, the bellhop has $2 - where's the missing dollar?", the listener has already been painted into an irrelevant corner. Why? Because the punchline adds the money that the men DO NOT have ($27) with what the bellhop DOES have ($2); this is adding un-related figures.

Look at where the money is actually at. The desk clerk originally received $30 and gave $5 back to the bellhop, so he has $25. The three men originally gave away $30 and received $3 back, so they have $3. The bellhop was allowed to keep $2 for his trouble. $25 + $3 + $2 = $30.

Answer 2

There is no "other dollar." $27 for the room and $2 for the bellhop = $29.

Answer 3

There is no dollar missing
30.00
-27.00
= 3.00
5.00
3.00 refund 1.00 each man
2.00 to bellhop

totals to 0

Answer 4

To the desk clerc

Answer 5

they dropped the dollar

Answer 6

I dont get it??????