Turning Shoppers Into Tax Evading Citizens

The IRS is now investigating tax evasion.  You shop online and think what a deal, this may cost you more than you bargained for.  Millions of people shopped online this year for christmas presents that were unique, cheap, free shipping, and yes no local taxes.  Now the IRS is investigating these transactions and are holding the shoppers responsible for it.  Ebay is one of the biggest sites that draws the shopper in, there is no rules for the seller to add sales tax.  This is now being brought out and people are going to jail and being fined huge fees. It doesn’t seem to be alot however approximately 10% of money collected for local and state sales tax not being collected can affect many of our state funded programs not being able to survive.  The shopping is also affecting the small shops that locally can’t compete with the online sites as they have no overhead and staffing is very limited.  The small shops in turn are going out of bussiness or struggling to survive.  As a shopper we are somehow expected to turn in tax for something bought online and keep it local if possible.