Gaia bugs me too. XD
But the tax.. that was a mistake in itself. The users told the staff what they were going to do if they implemented the tax, and they did just that. The tax only helped to make it harder for new people to afford items that can only be gained from other users.

It was and is a massive gold sink, but it's taking gold from the wrong people.

I've long since gotten really pissed with gaia and left. XD