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Online cigarette buyers hit with state tax bills 

The state is smoking out Ohio smokers who evaded cigarette taxes by shopping online between July and March.

Nearly 5,500 buyers should expect a bill for unpaid excise and use taxes on cigarettes purchased during that nine-month period, the Ohio Department of Taxation announced Monday. The combined tab? More than $2.15 million, including nearly $370,000 owed to Cuyahoga County.

The largest bill - $2,700 - belongs to a Huron County resident who bought 2,160 packs from out-of-state Internet vendors. Most bills are less than $600. They must be paid within 30 days, according to the department, which did not release names.

"If people bought online to avoid taxes," state spokesman Mike McKinney said, "they're going to be disappointed."

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