what the !@#%$ is a federal excise tax. I order something and bang thing got

What is a federal excise tax?

Excise taxes, also known as manufacturer's excise taxes, are fees imposed by all levels of government on producers, manufacturers and importers of goods and activities. Taxes on goods are usually passed on to the consumer as the normal cost of doing business. The amount of the tax is occasionally posted for the consumer, with an example being the information attached to gasoline pumps. However, the amount is often simply incorporated into the price without any notation.

Items that commonly are subject to excise taxes include

Alcohol,Tobacco,Telephone Service, Transportation fuels, tires

It's on every gallon of gas that's purchased as well as every tire for your car. Years ago (about 35) when gasoline stations first had to start posting their prices on the pumps, they used to have to break down the price of each gallon showing the price for gas, state tax, local tax, excise tax and then the total price. Prices didn't bounce around much back then so it really wasn't a bother to do it but now that they change weekly (sometimes daily) they only have to show the total price.