For what it's worth in the states there are also thousands of localities to deal with as well. Software is needly very quickly to actually properly account for sales. Also in the US there is a complicated system of sales tax, use tax, and exemptions for certain businesses buying goods for resale.
Lending money for longer term is disadvantaged vs. shorter term so borrowing is impacted. This leads to less stability and in the past has been a fairly good indicator of an upcoming recession.
Past performance is not an indicator of future returns.
Part of it was to legitimize producing it in the first place. Plastic bottle production does not seem so bad when the new evil is throwing it away vs. recycling. We shifted the onerous onto ourselves instead of the producers.