To find Priya's total income before tax, we can use the formula:
\[ \text{Income tax} = \text{Total income} \times \text{Tax rate} \]
We know that Priya had $52.50 deducted as tax and the tax rate is 12% (or 0.12). We can set up the equation:
\[ 52.50 = \text{Total income} \times 0.12 \]
Next, we'll solve for the total income:
\[ \text{Total income} = \frac{52.50}{0.12} \]
Calculating this gives:
\[ \text{Total income} = 437.50 \]
So, Priya's total income before tax is $437.50.
Priya's income before tax can be found by dividing the tax amount by the tax rate. This means Priya earned a total of $437.50 before any taxes were taken out.