[Your Nightmare]

"... tax levied on the manufacture, sale, or consumption of a commodity ..." (got that - SALE of a commodity??).

"sale of a commodity"

"A commodity" is singular, not plural. You know, like when you sell cigaretted, they are a specific commodity that is charged an excise. So this quote directly contradicts your's and AG's position.

[pigdog]

The word commodity is a collective noun (not just singular) and can equally mean multiple things - especially the way it is used in that definition.

In that context it means ANY commodity - e.g, gold is a commodity but is hardly a singular thing. Wheat is a commodity similarly. Meat is a commodity also and there are many differing kinds of meat.

This is a pointless sidetrack you keep trying to pursue (your M.O. we now know). Perhaps you'd rather let all us peons know how the CRS is not biased.

[justshutupandtakeit]

The point is that an excise tax CAN be a sales tax but is much more. It is a tax on Manufacture (no sale involved) or consumption (no sale necessarily involved)

Look at the Whiskey Rebellion for an example of taxing manufacture and consumption.