Question

an item costs $490 before tax, and the sales tax is $9.80. find the sales tax rate. write your answer as a percentage.

Explanation:

Step1: Define tax rate formula

Let \( r \) = sales tax rate. Formula: \( r = \frac{\text{Sales Tax}}{\text{Pre-tax Cost}} \times 100\% \)

Step2: Substitute given values

Substitute values: \( r = \frac{9.80}{490} \times 100\% \)

Step3: Calculate the rate

Compute: \( \frac{9.80}{490} = 0.02 \), so \( 0.02 \times 100\% = 2\% \)

Answer:

2%