consumption tax
Consumption tax is the ritual of slipping into a product's price and quietly gathering coins from the buyer's wallet just before the final payment. Touted as a social duty, it is nothing more than a mischievous mastermind hiding in the decimals on the receipt. It evokes the joy of purchase only to douse pure desire with cold reality at the last moment. Each rate change tests the nation’s arithmetic nerve, prompting economic councils to wring their hands anew. Ultimately, it plays the unseen overlord in the absurd dance between price tags and receipts.