Reply to post: In the UK

In the UK

Buy something that retails at 1 GBP and pay VAT at 20% making 1.20

You earned the 1.20 GBP to buy item and so probably paid income tax at, say, 20%

20% of 1.20 is 0.24 GBP making 1.44

National Insurance rates paid at, say, 12% makes 0.12 GBP making 1.56 GBP for something costing 1.00 GBP

so to buy something costing 1.00 from the shop you have to pay guvmint 0.56 a nice little earner for Treasury and civil servants?