If any of you earn income in the U.S. you will see the deductions on your paycheck. Every person who earns income in the U.S. is supposed to pay income tax on both the federal and state level. Each state also has its own form of income tax that employers also withhold from your paycheck. Another form of tax that you will become very familiar with is sales tax. This is the tax that is charged on your purchases, such as if you buy a pack of gum.
Sales tax is a state tax and varies from state to state as well as within the state.
Within the state, municipalities have the right to raise the sales tax above the state limit. There are also other rules surrounding sales tax, such as which items are taxed and which are not. For example, in NY gum is taxed, but milk is not. In NJ food is taxed, but clothes are not. As you can see the tax system in this country is quite complex.