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Comment by ensignavenger | Hacker News Reader

They aren't changing every single tag in the store.

I'd hope not every month! But even if taxes changed yearly is that really a large burden? How many things even stay in the same shelf at the same price for 1 year straight as it is, how many dozens of times was that shelf already restocked and inventoried compared to how often the price tag would need to be replaced due to taxes changing?

In my state, taxes change at least twice a year, and usually 3 times at a minimum. Changing what shelf products are on is a continuous, incremental thing- changing every tag in the store for tax changes would have to happen overnight for all products, on specific nights each year.

Many stores like to pre-tag each product package, either at the store or manufacturer- you couldn't do that if the tax had to be included in the price as the stores have many locations each with different tax rates. (I do think the tax rates should be prominently posted at the door).

Sales tax compliance is already a massive PITA for retail stores. Making them include the sales tax on the tag would just be an even bigger PITA.

3 times a year minimum does sound pretty insane - I'd be all for fixing that before fixing price labeling. Do you mind me asking which state that is? In Indiana we've changed the sales tax 4 times since introducing it in 1963 (and don't actually collect it for the grocery example like most states), I shudder to think what the point of changing it 4 times in a year would be.

So what? I'd rather it be a corporate pain - in which people will get paid to deal with bs - rather than a buyer pain - in which all our lives are that much more frustrating. Plus, changing price tags? That's the pain? Changing tags??? Doing the math that's done at the register 1000x/sec and printing it on cards?

Even if they were, Eink tags that can be updated wirelessly are dirt cheap (certainly not as cheap as paper tags, but you also dont have to pay someone to go around and change them).

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