A theater group made appearances in two cities. The hotel charge before tax in the second city was $1500 higher than in the first. The tax in the first city was 4% , and the tax in the second city was 3.5% . The total hotel tax paid for the two cities was $408.75. How much was the hotel charge in each city before tax?

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Let x = charge before tax in 1st city, and y = charge before tax in 2nd city

y = $1500 + x

4/100x => tax in first city

3.5/100y => tax in second city

0.04x + 0.035y = $408.75

We have the following system of equations to solve:

So the hotel charge before tax in city 1 = $4750, and the hotel charge before tax in city 2 = $6250

this answer is !