For wages less than the maximum taxable wage base, Social Security contributions (including those for Medicare) by employees are 7.65% of the employee's wages.

(a) Find an equation that expresses the relationship between the wages earned (x) and the Social Security taxes paid (y) by an employee who earns less than the maximum taxable wage base.

y = 0.0765x

Step-by-step explanation:

We have that:

y is the total taxes paid.

x is the total wages earned.

The total taxes paid is a function of the total wages earned.

For wages less than the maximum taxable wage base, Social Security contributions (including those for Medicare) by employees are 7.65% of the employee's wages.

So 7.65% of the total wages earned are paid in taxes. We write the percentage as a decimal, so 7.65/100 = 0.0765

So the answer for a) is:

y = 0.0765x