[jchb]

> why is it up to me to do weird math to figure out if I actually have enough $$$ to pay for what I'd like to have.

Well, one reason is: to make you aware of the tax burden (and judge if that % is kept at a reasonable level), rather than hiding it in the total price.

[himinlomax]

And why do I, as a customer, have to expend that effort to "be aware of the tax burden"?

[baby]

It also seems to have nasty incentives, I've never heard of people talking about taxes so much before moving to the US. Here everybody is afraid of taxes going up, and people who support Sanders' ideas are not voting for him because "he is going to raise the taxes".

But in my opinion it's backward, instead of being up-front about costs, they are HIDING costs. I can still see how much taxes is taken when I get a receipt in France for example, it's just not hidden from you at the beginning of the transaction.