Wayne Allyn Root should quit bellyaching over sales taxes

In his latest rant against “big government,” Wayne Allyn Root complains that he has paid about $2,000 in sales taxes because of Gov. Brian Sandoval’s agreement with Amazon to collect the tax on sales made in Nevada (“Why have Heller, Sandoval abandoned GOP principles?”). If that’s true, Mr. Root has spent slightly more than $24,000 in online taxable purchases with Amazon. And because many of the items that Amazon sells do not require it to collect sales tax, it is likely that Mr. Root has spent more than $24,000 in online purchases.

In addition, that amount excludes his family’s food purchases, which are exempt from Nevada’s sales tax.

Isn’t it ironic that this man who claims to be so terribly harmed by “big government” still has enough money to spend that amount of money? There are hundreds of thousands of Nevada residents whose income is less that Mr. Root’s Amazon purchases or who only can dream about spending that amount.

Earlier this year, former Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz said, “Maybe rather than getting that new iPhone,” Americans “should invest in their own health care.” If Mr. Root followed that advice, he would pay less sales tax and have more to spend on a better education for his kids or at local Vegas casinos, malls and restaurants — or perhaps on his health care.