Sales taxes are rarely created to "Pass on the environmental costs and social costs of a product to the consumer". Even when they are, as in the case of cigarette taxes, the wealthy make out like bandits on what is regarded "sin tax", with the working class paying disproportionate amounts of money in taxes. While we can successfully argue that people should not be smoking, the reality of addiction is a much harder ordeal for people to conquer. And the people who can least afford it often wind up paying for government services and wars.

I say tax the rich instead!