/ Source: msnbc.com
Q: How do you “back out” sales tax? On a $20,000.00 purchase (total with tax) and a sales tax of 7 percent, how much do I send to the state? — Ruth, Tinley Park, Ill.
A: Don’t you hate these? It’s like one of those annoying questions on a standardized test. But here goes:
In this case, you need to figure out how much of that $20,000 purchase (let’s call it a car) went for the car and how much is tax. So let’s do the math:
- Step one: Set up the problem
Car + Tax (7 percent of Car) = $20,000 - Step two: Solve for "Car"
(1) * Car + (.07) * Car = $20,000 - Step three: Add up the pieces
1.07 * Car = $20,000 - Step four: Divide both sides by 1.07
Car = $20,000 / 1.07 - Step five: Voila!
Car = $18,691.59
So you “back out” the tax by subtracting the price of the car from the total $20,000 you paid, you get: $20,000 - $18, 691.59 = $1,308.41
To double check, you can see what the tax is by taking 7 percent of the cost of the car alone, or $18,691.59.
- Tax = $18,691.59 * .07 = $1,308.41
And even if the dealer calculates it for you, it never hurts to check the math.
