Sales tax
Sales tax is a percentage of an item price added to the purchase total. In Grade 6 Saxon Math Course 1 (Chapter 5: Number and Operations), students calculate sales tax in three steps: convert the tax rate percent to a decimal (e.g., 8% → 0.08), multiply the item price by the decimal to find the tax amount, then add the tax to the original price to get the final cost. For a $45 item with 8% tax: tax = 0.08 × 45 = $3.60; total = $45 + $3.60 = $48.60. Students also work backwards to find the original price before tax.
Key Concepts
Property Sales tax is a percentage of an item's price that gets added to the final cost. To find the tax, multiply the price by the tax rate.
Examples Tax on a 12 dollars purchase with a 6% rate: $0.06 \times 12 \text{ dollars} = 0.72 \text{ dollars}$ Total price for the 12 dollars item with 6% tax: $12 \text{ dollars} + 0.72 \text{ dollars} = 12.72 \text{ dollars}$ Tax on a 20 dollars purchase with a 8% rate: $0.08 \times 20 \text{ dollars} = 1.60 \text{ dollars}$.
Explanation Wonder why things cost more at the register? Sales tax! Just multiply the item's price by the tax rate (as a decimal) to find the tax amount. Add that to the original price for your final bill. It’s a simple two step dance: multiply, then add!
Common Questions
How do you calculate sales tax on a purchase?
Convert the tax percent to a decimal (divide by 100), multiply by the item price to get the tax amount, then add that to the price. Example: 6% tax on $30 = 0.06 × 30 = $1.80 tax; total = $31.80.
Why is sales tax added to the listed price?
The listed price is the pre-tax price. Sales tax is a government-imposed fee collected at the point of sale, so it is added to determine the actual amount paid.
What is the total cost of a $75 item with 5% sales tax?
Tax = 0.05 × 75 = $3.75. Total = $75 + $3.75 = $78.75.
How do you find the original price if you know the total and the tax rate?
Divide the total by (1 + tax rate as decimal). For a total of $53 with 6% tax: original = 53 ÷ 1.06 ≈ $50.
How is sales tax related to percent problems?
Sales tax is a direct application of finding a percent of a number. The tax rate is the percent and the item price is the whole.