Yes, cheese on it, everyone has to pay a sales tax. Think about it. If you have a problem understanding that a sales tax is regressive, spring for a calculator. Consider this simplistic example. Using an 8% sales tax, if a person has an income of $100,000 and spends $60,000 on living expenses, leaving, $40,000 for savings and investments, the sales tax on his living expenses would be $4,800. Compare that scenario to the elderly or disabled person living on $12,000, who spends every dime on living expenses, resulting in a tax of $960. The person with the $100,000 income pays 4.8% on this tax while the elderly/disabled pays 8%. Face it a sales tax is simply a mean spirited method of extracting money from those who have less or none to spare.
Then there are those who think it’s the only way to go provided you have humanitarian exemptions. Take a look at Idaho. They have been trying to exempt groceries for some time. They almost exempted groceries last year. The problem is their Republican governor vetoed the attempt. The same is expected from their new Republican Senate and governor. As for other countries and their sales taxes, you’re talking apples and oranges. Using EU as an example is pointless. Most of the EU countries' social safety nets are far more inclusive than ours in providing necessities for those in need, including, but not limited to, medical, nutrition and housing.