The US has varied rates on ST based on state (for example, in New Jersey: its somewhere around 6.6%) but that in itself is nowhere close to an actual country (like, Norway imposes 25% VAT on everything nationwide, its included in the final price) but taxes in general are intended to fund roads, education, infrastructure, etc. (this is something all countries have) and taxes are deducted when you receive your paycheck.
The difference is that Norway imposes 25% VAT (whatever the price is, includes tax) for a reason: to maintain high quality standard of living (it explains why you don’t hear stories of medical or student debt as much) as their public services are funded from high taxes imposed towards citizens. While in the US: sales tax is only added upon checkout, but what do you receive from the government in return after paying taxes?
Depends on where you live honestly. Besides Sales Tax being regressive and harming low income people disproportionately, where you live affects what the sales tax is being spent on. In general in the US, sales tax goes towards funding infrastructure, primarily roads and other car-centric forms of infrastructure. If I’m remembering correctly, for every dollar the government spends on roads for cars, society as a whole pays an extra $9 or something like that, in contrast to society having a gain when that money going towards bike or public transit infrastructure. So in that way, no, not worth it.
I also think that people get more butt hurt over sales tax because it feels like something you have to pay after you buy your goods/services due to it being levied on the list price so it feels like basically a junk fee. If prices were displayed with tax already included like how VAT works in Europe, I don’t think people would notice or care as much, and the mental side of fiscal burdens is as important if not more important than the fiscal side of it