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@jjsettaGiven: ­The price of a product increased by 3.5% in the last year, with the price consisting of raw materials and taxes.
Asked: If the cost of raw materials increased by 3% and the tax increased by 5.5%, what percentage of the product's costs did the taxes costs represent at the beginning of the year?
Let the raw material cost be r & taxes be t at the beginning of the year.

Original price of product = r+t
Increased price of product = 1.035(r+t)

Increased price of raw materials = 1.03r
Increased taxes = 1.055t

1.035(r+t) = 1.03r + 1.055t
.005r = .02t
t/r = .005/.02 = .25
t/(r+t) = .25/1.25 = .2 = 20%

The percentage of the product's costs did the taxes costs represent at the beginning of the year = t/(r+t) = 20%

​​​​​​​IMO D
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In the beginning:
let raw mat = x
tax = y

after increase:
raw mat = 1.03x
tax = 1.055y

[(1.03x+1.055y)-(x+y)]/(x+y) = 3.5/100
on solving:
x = 4y

we have to find -> y/(x+y) = 0.2
D is correct.
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say price of raw material = M
price of tax= P
price of product= 100x

so M + P =100x

new price of raw material = 1.03M
new price of tax= 1.055P
new price of product= 103.5x
1.03M + 1.055P = 103.5x

we need to find p / 100x
so now we have two unknowns, lets find p

from eq 1, M= 100x- P

put this into eq 2
1.03(100x-P) + 1.055P = 103.5x
103x- 1.03p + 1.055p = 103.5x
0.20P = 0.5x
p = 20x

so 20x / 100x
0.2
option D
jjsetta
­The price of a product increased by 3.5% in the last year, with the price consisting of raw materials and taxes. If the cost of raw materials increased by 3% and the tax increased by 5.5%, what percentage of the product's costs did the taxes costs represent at the beginning of the year?

A) 0.15
B) 0.55
C) 0.35
D) 0.2
E) 0.27­
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