I would just like to mention for the non-Americans here that "America has <X> tax" is a gross and possibly useless oversimplification. There are federal taxes,

I would just like to mention for the non-Americans here that "America has <X> tax" is a gross and possibly useless oversimplification. There are federal taxes, which generally will be levied uniformly across the country. There are state, county, and municipal taxes, of which the rates will all vary as well as whether any specific tax is levied at all (eg: Oregon has no sales tax). Certain taxes will be levied by multiple levels of government, such as gasoline tax which is levied by both federal and state taxes. Most countries' taxes are far simpler because their structures of governance are simpler, so it's worth keeping in mind that mindset shouldn't be applied to the US.