2026-07-24 15:01 UTC
Replies (2)
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@unlambda@hachyderm.io 2026-07-24 15:06
@mikee@social.lol @Migueldeicaza@mastodon.social Gas stations are one of the few places where the taxes are included in the price on sign. Because America is weird and Republicans hate taxes, they want everyone else to as well, so for most products, you pay a sales tax on top of the price advertised on the label. Republicans do everything they can to make taxes be annoying and in your face to help mobilize opposition to them, such as preventing the government to make it easier to file income taxes so you have to pay money to a private company to do it and go through a long painful process to just tell the government what they already know from your paychecks. But for some reason, unlike with other goods, the gas taxes are already included in the price advertised. Maybe something about how much this country likes to promote car dependence, so they're OK with removing the frustrations of dealing with extra sales tax on top of it as long as it promotes people buying and burning fossil fuels. America is a really weird place. Also, see the fact that we're complaining about high gas prices when they're close to half of the prices paid in Europe.
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@mikee@social.lol 2026-07-24 15:06
@unlambda@hachyderm.io @Migueldeicaza@mastodon.social so it's one of the historical things that one has to experience in order to understand it I guess..