Chipotle, taxes, and Office Space

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

So I went to Chipotle today to get my usual steak burrito. I already had my $6.03 ready to go, since the burrito is $5.50 + 5% tax, which comes to $5.775, which rounds up to $5.78. Then, I got to thinking... what happens with that extra $0.005? Does Chipotle pay the 5% tax on each order individually, or do they pay 5% of their total sales every month/6 months/year/whatever? If they just pay 5% of their total per year or whatever, then they're getting half a penny extra on every steak burrito they sell all by itself, a la the Office Space fraction of a penny millions of times scam. If they pay per order ($0.28 for this one), then the gubment is getting 5.09% tax. Who's getting my extra half penny per burrito?

In case the tie-in to Office Space was a little too loose for you, here you go:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/pwarcham/office_space.gif

edit: fixed typo in final price.

[MelchyBeau]

heh, perfect. Is this what they teach you in rocket sciencing class?

Melch

[Shajen]

Tangent:

The Cheesy Gordita crunch as made by the T-Bell near my house blows red-assed baboons. What's my play?

[Boris]

is this a serious question?

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
Tangent:

The Cheesy Gordita crunch as made by the T-Bell near my house blows red-assed baboons. What's my play?

[/ QUOTE ]
Don't [censored] with my thread, [censored]!

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
is this a serious question?

[/ QUOTE ]
Do I look like I would ask non-serious questions?

[Boris]

god damnit! now I have two questions.

I was thinking about giving a serious answer but I didn't want to look like an a-hole who didnt' get the joke. But I'm not sure if there's a joke or not.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
god damnit! now I have two questions.

I was thinking about giving a serious answer but I didn't want to look like an a-hole who didnt' get the joke. But I'm not sure if there's a joke or not.

[/ QUOTE ]
It's like a riddle with pants?

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
$5.755, which rounds up to $5.78.

[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
$5.755, which rounds up to $5.78.

[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Oops... $5.775.

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
$5.755, which rounds up to $5.78.

[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Oops... $5.775.

[/ QUOTE ]

How the hell did that make it so many replies?

[tek]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
$5.755, which rounds up to $5.78.

[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

He Patrick del Poker, not Patrick del Math /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[touchfaith]

1 star

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
$5.755, which rounds up to $5.78.

[/ QUOTE ]

/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

He Patrick del Poker, not Patrick del Math /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, exactly. Now can we all get back on-topic? Who's running the fractional penny scam?

[Shajen]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Tangent:

The Cheesy Gordita crunch as made by the T-Bell near my house blows red-assed baboons. What's my play?

[/ QUOTE ]
Don't [censored] with my thread, [censored]!

[/ QUOTE ]

HAH! The day is mine, Trebec!

http://www.teaser.fr/~ffrancq/ImagesSNL/sean3.jpg

[jakethebake]

[ QUOTE ]
Tangent:

The Cheesy Gordita crunch as made by the T-Bell near my house blows red-assed baboons. What's my play?

[/ QUOTE ]

Well it sounds like they've got the baboon blowing locked up. Find yourself a chimp or mandrill to blow.

[Boris]

FU

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
FU

[/ QUOTE ]
I've got to say, I'm a bit confused as well. I just want to know who's scamming here.

[touchfaith]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Tangent:

The Cheesy Gordita crunch as made by the T-Bell near my house blows red-assed baboons. What's my play?

[/ QUOTE ]
Don't [censored] with my thread, [censored]!

[/ QUOTE ]

HAH! The day is mine, Trebec!

http://www.teaser.fr/~ffrancq/ImagesSNL/sean3.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]


I'll take The Penis Mightier for $200, Trebec!

[Slow Play Ray]

It depends on the state. Some states require a retailer to round up any fraction of a penny for sales tax, while some have them round up for only $0.005 or more.

Either way, the answer is that fraction of a penny goes to the state.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
It depends on the state. Some states require a retailer to round up any fraction of a penny for sales tax, while some have them round up for only $0.005 or more.

Either way, the answer is the state gets that fraction of a penny.

[/ QUOTE ]
So... let's say for simplicity that all of a sudden, everyone moved to SoCal and found all these amazing Tacquerias they have there that are worlds better than Chipotle and Chipotle had a bad month, only selling exactly two steak burritos to two different people in the entire month. They collected $0.28 x 2 = $0.56 tax. At the end of the month, the tax man comes by and asks for his share. Does he take 5% of each order and bring back $0.28 x 2 = $0.56, or does he say "give me 5% of your total sales ($11)" and get $0.55?

Maybe I better take this to The Trainwreck - it's getting pretty intense.

[Slow Play Ray]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It depends on the state. Some states require a retailer to round up any fraction of a penny for sales tax, while some have them round up for only $0.005 or more.

Either way, the answer is the state gets that fraction of a penny.

[/ QUOTE ]
So... let's say for simplicity that all of a sudden, everyone moved to SoCal and found all these amazing Tacquerias they have there that are worlds better than Chipotle and Chipotle had a bad month, only selling exactly two steak burritos to two different people in the entire month. They collected $0.28 x 2 = $0.56 tax. At the end of the month, the tax man comes by and asks for his share. Does he take 5% of each order and bring back $0.28 x 2 = $0.56, or does he say "give me 5% of your total sales ($11)" and get $0.55?

Maybe I better take this to The Trainwreck - it's getting pretty intense.

[/ QUOTE ]

He gets the $0.56. The sales tax for every individual purchase goes in a separate accounting "bucket" from the store's sales.

An interesting (well maybe not) thing about this is that, in the states that round down, you can sometimes save yourself a penny by paying for two items in two separate purchases rather than buying them together. Not that anyone would do this, but still...

[durron597]

Thanks for the new avatar.

[TimTimSalabim]

To answer your question seriously, a business keeps track of everything they've collected in sales tax and at the end of some period, totals it up and then gives that amount to the gubment. So, basically, the state is getting your halfpence.