Week in Insights: Even Milk Cartons Had a Tax Story Behind Them

Growing up, my family members often noted some aspect of daily life—how gas is cheaper if you pay in cash, or how it’s better to leave a server’s tip on the table rather than at the register—and said with a wave that it was “probably a tax thing.”

I used to be skeptical: “I’m not sure UNICEF is taking donations in dimes to dodge some tax ramifications of the quarter, Dad.” As I’ve become more familiar with tax policy, however, I’ve begun to think the adage might be more right than wrong.

Take the photographs of missing children printed on ...