Page 504 - Basic College Mathematics with Early Integers

S E C T I O N 6.5 I PERCENT AND PROBLEM SOLVING: SALES TAX, COMMISSION, AND DISCOUNT 481

Concept Check The purchase price of a textbook is $50 and sales tax is
10%. If you are told by the cashier that the total price is $75, how can you tell
that a mistake has been made?

Example 2 Finding a Sales Tax Rate PRACTICE 2
The sales tax on an $18,500
The sales tax on a $406 Sony flat-screen digital 27-inch television is $34.51. Find
automobile is $1665. Find the
the sales tax rate.
sales tax rate.
Solution: Let r represent the unknown sales tax rate.Then
sales tax = tax rate # purchase price

∂
T ∂
#
$34.51 = r $406
#
34.51 r 406
= Divide both sides by 406.
406 406
0.085 = r Simplify.

8.5% = r Write 0.085 as a percent.
The sales tax rate is 8.5%.

Work Practice 2

Objective Calculating Commissions
A wage is payment for performing work. Hourly wage, commissions, and salary are
some of the ways wages can be paid. Many people who work in sales are paid a
commission. An employee who is paid a commission is paid a percent of his or her
total sales.

Commission
#
commission = commission rate sales

Example 3 Finding the Amount of Commission PRACTICE 3
A sales representative for
Sherry Souter, a real estate broker for Wealth Investments, sold a house for Office Product Copiers sold
$214,000 last week. If her commission is 1.5% of the selling price of the home, find $47,632 worth of copy equip-
the amount of her commission.
ment and supplies last month.
Solution: What is his commission for the
month if he is paid a commis-
commission = commission rate # sales sion of 6.6% of his total sales
for the month?
T T T
Answers
commission = 1.5% # $214,000
2. 9% 3. $3143.71
= 0.015 # $214,000 Write 1.5% as 0.015.
Concept Check Answer
= $3210 Multiply. 1
Since 10% = , the sales tax is
10
$50
= $5. The total price should
10
Continued on next page have been $55.