Subway fare

"Dad, why are they charging us tax?" my son asked.

"Hmm?" I hadn't been paying attention, but I didn't know how much his Subway sandwich cost and the total for both of us wasn't out of line.

"There's no sales tax on Saipan," I finally said.

"No, I saw sixty-one cents for tax on the register," he insisted.

There it was on the receipt: BGRT .61. The gross receipts tax is five percent, but that seems a little sneaky, especially when they're advertising their pre-tax prices to draw us in.

Now I'm wondering if there are other businesses treating the BGRT as a sales tax. I normally check my receipts and haven't noticed it.

It's a small thing anyway, and not likely to keep me away. Still, here's the Kingston Trio chestnut M.T.A. in honor of the Garapan Subway.