Final answer:
The state sales tax in New Jersey is 6.625%. Sales taxes are imposed on the price of goods and collected at the time of sale. To calculate the total cost of an item, convert the tax percentage to a decimal and multiply by the item's price.
Step-by-step explanation:
The state sales tax in New Jersey is 6.625% which is not an option in the provided choices. Sales tax is a percentage of the purchase price imposed on many goods and some services. The seller collects the sales tax at the time of sale. It's important to note that sales tax rates can vary depending on the location and the type of goods or services being sold.
For example, if a student named Emily bought a jacket for $85 with a sales tax rate of 7.5%, she can calculate the total cost by first determining the sales tax amount. This is found by converting the percentage to a decimal, which would be 0.075, and then multiplying it by the cost of the jacket: $85 * 0.075 = $6.375. So, the total cost would be $85 + $6.375 = $91.375.
Meanwhile, another student named Brandon who bought a T-shirt for $8.99 and shorts for $11.99 with a sales tax rate of 7% would find his total spending by adding the sales tax to the total cost of the items. To calculate the sales tax, he would convert 7% to a decimal (0.07) and multiply it by the total cost of the items which equals $20.98: $20.98 * 0.07 = $1.4686. After rounding the sales tax to the nearest cent, $1.47 would be added to the cost of the items for a final total.