Beth buys a package of lunch meat for \( \$ 6.99 \), a loaf of bread for \( \$ 2.29 \), and 2 oranges for \( \$ 155 \) The sales tax is \( 6 \% \), what is the total cost including tax?

First, let's calculate the total cost of the items before tax. The lunch meat is \( \$ 6.99 \), the bread is \( \$ 2.29 \), and the oranges are priced at \( \$ 155 \). Adding these together: \[ 6.99 + 2.29 + 155 = 164.28 \] Next, we need to apply the sales tax of \( 6\% \) to this total cost. To find the tax amount, we calculate \( 6\% \) of \( 164.28 \): \[ Tax = 164.28 \times 0.06 = 9.8568 \approx 9.86 \] Now, we add the tax to the original total cost: \[ Total = 164.28 + 9.86 = 174.14 \] Therefore, the total cost including tax is approximately \( \$ 174.14 \).