So are you saying that the publishers/businesses simply make the price up to what they want it to be around the taxes they need to pay?
No, I'm basing my question on what I posted up top, which seems to contradict what you are saying.
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/ans...-added-tax.asp
Value-Added Tax (VAT) Examples
By J.B. MAVERICK
Reviewed By LEA D. URADU
Updated Dec 29, 2020
A value-added tax (VAT) is a consumption tax that is levied on a product repeatedly at every point of sale at which value has been added. That is, the tax is added when a raw materials producer sells a product to a factory, when the factory sells the finished product to a wholesaler, when the wholesaler sells it on to a retailer, and, finally, when the retailer sells it to the consumer who will use it.
Ultimately, the retail consumer pays the VAT. The buyer in each earlier stage of the product's production is reimbursed for the VAT by the subsequent buyer in the chain. VAT is commonly used in European countries. The U.S. does not utilize a VAT system.
VAT is commonly expressed as a percentage of the total cost. For example, if a product costs $100 and there is a 15% VAT, the consumer pays $115 to the merchant. The merchant keeps $100 and remits $15 to the government.