Wrong Store Tax? Warning: Math

[spoonyliger]

I'm very puzzled by this.

On a trip to CVS yesterday my subtotal was $65.44. The receipt says that NY tax is 7.375% which added $3.99 to my subtotal.

However, when I punch it into the calculator by using a rule of three (if $65.44 is 100% then $3.99 is x%), $3.99 actually turned out to be... *drumroll*

6.097%

What happened?

[IVstudios]

SHYAMALAN ALTERNATE ENDING: The goblin inside the cash register was running low on pixy dust and made a mistake.

[spoonyliger]

SHYAMALAN ALTERNATE ENDING: The goblin inside the cash register was running low on pixy dust and made a mistake.

Gwahahahah! IV you're amazing! I am willing to believe that.

[LibertyCabbage]

What happened?

Did you get any medicine or groceries? A lot of states exempt those items from their sales tax.

[peterabnny]

Bank error in your favor. Collect $200

(oh, and what LC said, probably)

[spoonyliger]

Bank error in your favor. Collect $200

(oh, and what LC said, probably)

lol, is that a Monopoly reference.

Yea, I actually bought some Froot Loops and energy bars. Maybe those didn't get taxed and threw me off my accountings.

[McDuffies]

SHYAMALAN ALTERNATE ENDING: The goblin inside the cash register was running low on pixy dust and made a mistake.

Or spoony is actually dead and in ourgatory. That explains everything.

[Rkolter]

Sales tax is not so simple. There are products that are not subject to sales tax. There are products that are subject to some taxes but not others, products that are subject to additional taxation, products that are subject to sales tax only under certain conditions (frozen meal - no sales tax; frozen meal heated up in the store - sales tax). Then there are outright mistakes where something is not taxed correctly. The 7.375% you quote is not a hard and fast "you can multiply what you buy by this and get your tax due." kind of rule.

Oh, and hi everyone! *wave*

[LibertyCabbage]

Oh, and hi everyone! *wave*

It's good to see you 'round again.

Froot Loops

Mmmm. Froot Loops.

[Yeahduff]

Oh hey there.

[McDuffies]

Hi Rkolter!
It's simpler over here, everything is taxed.

[Rkolter]

Heh. Simpler, but how do you keep your hordes of tax accountants fed then? Tell me that? Without a complex system of taxation, you can't possibly manage to feed and clothe all those people who have no real skills other than the ability to understand tens of thousands of pages of complex tax code!

[LibertyCabbage]

Heh. Simpler, but how do you keep your hordes of tax accountants fed then? Tell me that? Without a complex system of taxation, you can't possibly manage to feed and clothe all those people who have no real skills other than the ability to understand tens of thousands of pages of complex tax code!

Rkolter 1, bullshit economics 0. Although I highly doubt that the IRS agents actually understand their own tax code anyways.

[McDuffies]

Heh. Simpler, but how do you keep your hordes of tax accountants fed then? Tell me that? Without a complex system of taxation, you can't possibly manage to feed and clothe all those people who have no real skills other than the ability to understand tens of thousands of pages of complex tax code!

Tax accountants are but a tiny fragments of enormous bureaucratic apparatus consisting largely of someone's relatives that our country cherishes. A kind of folks who are allowed to take a three-hour break in the middle of work day in order to watch the tennis match (tennis is our latest craze), even though I may have documents that have to be urgently processed. Not to mention that, despite ubiquitousness of computers, you still can't get your stuff done any faster than you did in 1985.

[peterabnny]

Heh. Simpler, but how do you keep your hordes of tax accountants fed then? Tell me that? Without a complex system of taxation, you can't possibly manage to feed and clothe all those people who have no real skills other than the ability to understand tens of thousands of pages of complex tax code!

Tax accountants are but a tiny fragments of enormous bureaucratic apparatus consisting largely of someone's relatives that our country cherishes. A kind of folks who are allowed to take a three-hour break in the middle of work day in order to watch the tennis match (tennis is our latest craze), even though I may have documents that have to be urgently processed. Not to mention that, despite ubiquitousness of computers, you still can't get your stuff done any faster than you did in 1985.

Some stuff you can. There's software that lets you submit your taxes online.

[McDuffies]

I was talking specifically of situation in my country.

[peterabnny]

I was talking specifically of situation in my country.

Ah. Things sounded so similar the way you described them it sounded like you lived here in the States.

[McDuffies]

I never had experience with State's bureaucracy, except that I know that it's near impossible to get USA visa, and that you have convoluted taxing system.

[robotthepirate]

a tiny fragments of enormous bureaucratic apparatus consisting largely of someone's relatives that our country cherishes.

FIXED

For my country anyway.

[McDuffies]

You coulda fixed by grammar while you were at that.