A theater group made appearances in two cities. The hotel charge before tax in the second city was

Question

$500 lower than in the first. The tax in the first city was
6%, and the tax in the second city was 4.5% The total hotel tax paid for the two cities was $292.50
. How much was the hotel charge in each city before tax?

Answer 1

F = S + 500

.06F + .045S = 292.50

Substitute S+500 for F in the second equation and solve for S. Insert that value into the first equation to solve for F. Check by putting both values into the second equation.