Multi-level list inseparable from auto-tab?

C_Urban975 To make reliable use of multi-level list formatting, the indents and tab stops for each level of the list need to be set in the Define new Multi-level List dialog and each list level needs to be linked to a Style.
To set the list format for each paragraph the relevant Style needs to be applied to the paragraph and to be able to do that without using the mouse, the best thing to do is to use the Apply Styles dialog, that is displayed by using CTRL+SHIFT+s and having the "AutoComplete style names" box checked in that dialog.
However, I gather that your gripe is that when you press enter after using the Tab key to indent a paragraph, the new paragraph inherits to formatting from the preceding paragraph which is the default behaviour UNLESS you specify the style to be used for the following paragraph in the definition of the style that is used for the preceding paragraph.