A Taxing Situation

Did you know that, every time you make a purchase online, you are required to pay state (and possibly other) tax on it- probably?
Did you know that, if the seller- whether it was a big retailer like Amazon or just another person like yourself- doesn't tell you the amount due or collect that tax, you are required to find out how much you were supposed to pay and submit it to the applicable state, along with the appropriate tax form, which you can obtain online through the states' websites? At least, I think that's what you're supposed to do.
Did you know that the states either have now or are going to soon get the power to find out what you have purchased online- even going back several years, if possible- and whether or not you paid the taxes on it? And they're going to come after you for what they think you owe, with all the usual compassion and understanding tax collectors are known for.

This article may (or may not) clarify things for you, as it did (or didn't) for me.
I think it was stupid of the states to allow this situation to exist in the first place. Having allowed it this long, attempting to "fix" it now, and in this manner, is beyond belief.
It would be like the union trying to come after me now- more than a decade since I had the job- for dues I didn't pay because they didn't collect them themselves but expected me to make a special trip to a part of town I don't ever go to, just to pay them for something that I didn't want, that was of no benefit to me, and that they had no right to take. And that I couldn't afford.