Mario ate at a South Beach, Fla. Subway that charged him 9 percent even though the Miami-Dade county sales tax is 7 percent. Neither Mario nor the Subway cashier was aware of a 2 percent surcharge that boosted the tax to 9 percent.

He writes:

I went to a Subway store in South Beach Fl, specifically in Washington Ave and 5th street, and ordered only a $5 footlong sub for lunch.

When I was told the total was $5.45, I asked why I was being charged those 45 cents, and the attendant only replied it was because the sales taxes. Since I clearly know sales taxes in Miami-Dade county (where South Beach is located) are only 7%, which calculates to 35 cents over the sub’s price, I asked her why the overcharge, and she simply responded she didn’t know and that it was what the register calculated.

For the mathematically impaired:

$5.00 + 7% tax = $5.35

$5.00 + 9% tax = $5.45

I wonder if that extra 2% in sales taxes this Subway store charges is for the “privilege” of finding something cheap to eat while you hang out in South Beach.

UPDATE: Subway isn’t doing anything wrong here. The extra 2 percent comes from a tacked-on Food and Beverage Task.

(Photo: Morton Fox)

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