True - businesses claim back the sales taxes they pay on purchases made for business purposes. People like to wave that one around and complain that businesses aren't paying taxes. I've got news for you - businesses don't pay taxes. Never have, never will. Their customers pay those taxes. Businesses pass on the cost of their taxes to their customers in the form of higher prices, just like any other business expense. Higher wage cost = higher prices. Higher materials costs = higher prices. Higher rent = higher prices. Higher taxes = yep, higher prices. Sure, businesses remit a lot of taxes to the government, but they ultimately get that money from the customer - you. Just because there's no separate line item on the receipt telling you exactly how much tax has been blended into the price of the goods or services you bought, doesn't mean you're not paying it.
I'm not arguing that this is right, or wrong. It just is.
As for "loopholes" - have you looked at the income tax codes lately? The wealthy are able to dodge a Hell of a lot more income tax than sales tax.
Yeah, but businesses are "bad" and run by greedy, rich assholes! Tax the businesses! Make them cough up!