Rafael made 20,000 in taxable income last year. Suppose the income tax rate is 15% for the first 8000 plus 17% for the amount over 8000. How much must Rafael pay in income tax for the last year?

The answer is 3,240

Explanation:

To calculate the total income tax, it is necessary to calculate what is the 15% of 8000, and 17% for the remaining money, which is 12.000 (20,000 - 8,000= 12,000). Considering the statement specifies the 15% is paid for the first 8,000 and from this, the 17% is paid. Now to know the percentages you can use a simple rule of three, by considering 8000 and 12000 as the 100%. The process is shown below:

1. Write the values

(the percentage you want to know)

2. Use cross multiplication

This means for the first 8000 the money Rafael needs to pay is 1,200

Now, let's repeat the process for the remaining money (12,000)

Finally, add the two values