country x imposes a two - tiered tax on imported cars : the first tier imposes a tax of 25 % of the car ' s price up to a certain price level . if the car ' s price is higher than the first tier ' s level , the tax on the portion of the price that exceeds this value is 15 % . if ron imported a $ 30000 imported car and ended up paying $ 5500 in taxes , what is the first tier ' s price level ?  Choose the most appropriate option:
A) $ 10000 B) $ 11000 C) $ 12000 D) $ 10500 E) $ 11500

Rationale: let t be the tier price , p be total price = 30000 per the given conditions : 0.25 t + 0.15 ( p - t ) = 5500 0.25 t + 0.15 * 30000 - 0.15 t = 5500 0.10 t + 4500 = 5500 0.10 t = 5500 - 4500 = 1000 t = 1000 / 0.10 = 10000 answer a
Answer: A