Answer: the bill before 6% sales tax is $92.85
Step-by-step explanation:
Let x represent the bill before the 6% sales tax.
It means that you paid 6% tax on x and the amount of tax paid would be
6/100 × x = 0.06 × x = 0.06x
Total amount that you paid for the meal including the 6% tax would be
x + 0.06x = 1.06x
If you spent $98.42 on the meal after the 6% tax, it means that
1.06x = 98.42
Dividing the left hand side and the right hand side of the equation by 1.06, it becomes
1.06x/1.06 = 98.42/1.06
x = $92.85
