In some towns and cities, there’s no sales tax on clothing under a certain amount. So if you spent $5000 on a fur coat, you’d pay tax but if you bought some jeans and tee shirts, you wouldn’t pay tax. (for example). Where I live and most places I’ve been, there’s no tax on necessary food items. There will be a tax on foods like candy, junk food, etc.
There’s a tax on gasoline and liquor.
When you work, money is taken off the top for Social Security, unemployment, a bunch of things (my check is direct deposited and I never look at it but there are explanations that come with each check). Then once a year you pay income tax based on your income and deductions. If you own property, you pay tax to local government for school, town, county, maybe fire department, a bunch of things.