Where is it you think you see someone trying to change the meaning of those two terms???
all i'm saying is an income tax is levied AGAINST the income BY DEFINITION and a sales tax is levied ON the retail price of the merchandise BY DEFINITION.
to say "inclusive sales tax rate" is both doublespeak and doublethink -- all i mean by that is an attempt to change the commonly accepted definition.
i don't have a problem with saying the rate is 23% in comparison to an income tax. i don't even necessarily have a problem with the rate being a 30% SALES TAX (although promoters of 'fair'tax seem to abhor/avoid-if-possible that fact).
but it is a silly attempt at deception to try and show sales receipts as having line item showing a 23% tax rate.
Sales Tax (Dictionary.com, Amer Her): A tax levied on the retail price of merchandise and collected by the retailer.
Sales Tax (m-w.com): a tax levied on the sale of goods and services that is usually calculated as a percentage of the purchase price and collected by the seller
Sales Tax (Cambridge Dictionary of American English): is tax on things people buy in stores
Sales Tax (encarta.msn.com): a tax on retail merchandise that is levied by the federal, state, or local government and collected at the point of sale by the retailer
Sales Tax (www.wordsmyth.net): a tax on retail sales, usu. set at a fixed percentage of the sale price and paid by the consumer.