Indeed. If I buy a gun or a car or a TV I pay sales tax. If I sell it I have to collect sales tax and then pay income tax on the sale despite buying it with mon

Indeed. If I buy a gun or a car or a TV I pay sales tax. If I sell it I have to collect sales tax and then pay income tax on the sale despite buying it with money that was already taxed once. If I buy stocks I pay no tax at all unless I manage to sell them at a profit, which is insane. Treat stocks like any other property: collect sales tax on the purchase and then income tax on the gross revenue after selling them regardless of whether you made a profit.