What's to prevent implementing sales tax to have the same benefits as VAT? I don't see how we need to lose the transparency of sales taxes to get the benefits o

What's to prevent implementing sales tax to have the same benefits as VAT? I don't see how we need to lose the transparency of sales taxes to get the benefits of selective VAT. For example, in many places in the US, food bought from groceries are not taxable. Having a sales tax does not mean you can't be selective about it. This is the main thing that the author missed.