Final answer:
The tax rate for meals in the city is calculated by dividing the sales tax ($1.87) by the cost of the meal ($22) and then multiplying by 100 to convert to a percentage, resulting in a tax rate of 0.085, or 8.5%.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the tax rate for meals in this city, you need to divide the amount of sales tax by the total cost of the meal before tax, and then convert it to a percentage by multiplying by 100. The formula for calculating tax rate is:
Tax Rate = (Sales Tax ÷ Meal Cost) × 100
Using the numbers provided, the sales tax is $1.87 and the meal cost is $22. Thus:
Tax Rate = ($1.87 ÷ $22) × 100
When you do the math:
Tax Rate = 0.085 × 100
Tax Rate = 8.5%
To express the tax rate as a decimal, you simply divide by 100:
Tax Rate (in decimal) = 0.085
This means the tax rate for meals in this city is 0.085, or 8.5% when expressed as a percentage.