May 3, 1921 - West Virginia became the first state with a sales tax
From what we hear, you would think states have always had sales taxes. The Republic survived 130 years without any sales taxes. The problem isn’t so much that we have too many taxes, although we do. The real problem is that we spend so much, and new government programs are always funded with money someone else.
Did you notice that income taxes and sales taxes arrived at the height of “The Progressive Era”? These are the same people who believe that Government can and should solve all problems. Of course, solving problems requires money. Unfortunately, its your money.