I agree. And this is essentially what the Value Added Tax does. For example, if the tax rate is 15%, and if you buy something for $50 and sell it for $85, you pay 15% on the difference. The first seller would pay 15% on the first $50.
I don't like the VAT tax. It imposes too many complications. The seller must keep records of how much he paid for each thing, calculate the value he added, and then apply the tax rate. Easy enough for the seller, but it makes the auditor's job more difficult. You have to know the cost of every material at the time bought. In the European system (the only VAT I know of) there are exceptions and the code keeps getting longer and longer.
I want a code that is easy to implement, easy to understand, and easy to audit.
We can fix it. What we need is an Amendment for Taxes and Funding. [1] Abolish all forms of duties, taxes, levies, and excises other than a sales tax. [2] Set the tax rate at 10% federal, 10% state, 10% county. [3] Forbid any exemptions, exceptions, or exclusions.
I know taxes will cascade on some items. The cascade wouldn't amount to much compared to the burden of reporting, remitting and keeping records on all the other taxes now used. Once a month the seller would report sales and remit ten percent of that amount to each level of government. An audit would only have to check how much sales were. The tax code would be the size of a small pamphlet. Everyone could easily understand the process. That is my aim - simplicity.