This is why, to me, the national sales tax is appealing. You are absolutely correct. I don't have a problem with consumption taxes. If I want the privilege of driving, I should (rightly) assume that I would need to contribute to the group of people who own automobiles and want (need?) to drive on public highways.
This is markedly different from making money and having the tax man show up at my door saying, "Pay up what I tell you to pay up. Or, go to jail". The U.S. Federal Tax code is supposedly the largest ever created. If that it is true (or even a slight exaggration), it is hard to dispute what they are telling you. How could you know?
It seems this woman's case possess the question: ok, show me?
It seems that, in this case at least, the government failed to be able to answer this question.
I guess so except I worry that it would be a "hidden" tax. Perhaps if there were a requrement that the register receipt print the Fedral tax line in BOLD RED type so people would see what government costs them.