Okay so make it consistent then?

Easier said than done.

There is no Federal VAT, and each state decides its own tax policy. Most states charge a “sales tax.” Some states charge more, other states charge less. These are set by the state and depend on each state’s overall budget and taxation structure. For example, a state like Tennessee that doesn’t collect income tax may require a higher sales tax to meet budget demands, whereas a state like Oregon that collects a high income tax may have no sales tax at all.

What’s more, some states let local municipalities charge sales tax. Alaska actually charges no state sales tax, but allows local sales taxes. Several states have both a state and local sales tax. So even within a state it can be different depending on where you are.

So instead our prices don’t include tax and we just know we have to throw on anywhere from 0% to 11% depending on our location.

In order for pricing to include taxes, you’d have to display a different price for every state or municipality. Or, we’d have to get everyone to agree on one VAT standard, which will not happen because different states have wildly different ideologies regarding taxation.