We pay 7.25% sales tax in California, the highest in the country. Plus, county taxes can go up to 3.5%, adding up to 10.75% total. It's not too much to ask for basic stuff like maintaining the streets when paying this kind of money. The roads in Orange County, where I live, are great though.

California doesn't have the highest sales tax: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_the_United_Stat...

You seem to be confused. Your own link shows that California state sales tax is the highest in the country. Look at the blue bars.

Whoops. If we're just comparing state sales tax, CA does seem to be the highest. However it's not dramatically higher than many other states, and when you throw in local taxes the combined rate seems to be just in the top ten or so.

None of the top ten states of the richest country in the world should have bad roads.

> ...adding up to 10.75% total.

That's not too far off from the total sales tax in -say- one of the largest metros in Alabama; Birmingham. Total sales tax in that city is 8.0%. [0] I can tell you from personal experience, that you get a lot, lot less for that money than you do in California.

[0] <https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/sales-use/tax-rates/?_ador-s...>