I can't figure out how corporate taxes are anything more than an illusion.

A corporation is a collection of individuals, who are each taxed on their respective gains. The concept already breaks down right here, in my opinion. Especially when you consider that many "investors" are people who have exposure for retirement purposes. But let's say investors don't want to eat that tax. Why would they? Wouldn't their next option be to pass it on to consumers somehow? Price increase, quality decrease, etc.

Unless I'm missing something, pretty much every tax is a sales tax disguised as something else to make the average idiot happier to pay more. This includes tariffs. Property taxes are the only other unique type I can think of, and that's because they're perpetual. But ultimately it's a sales tax too for living in that area.

What am I missing?