Pennsylvanians who bought cigarettes online hit with liens for unpaid taxes
CRAIG SMITH
Monday, June 15, 2009 12:00 a.m.
Gladys Kramer couldn't believe the price of a carton of cigarettes advertised by an Indian reservation in New York.
"I'd have to have my head examined not to buy from them," said Kramer, 82, of Butler Township.
A smoker since her teenage years, she jumped at the chance to buy cigarettes for $14.95 a carton, ordering 133 cartons between May 2006 and December 2008. A carton in Pennsylvania today sells for about $53.
Kramer was shocked last month to receive a notice from the Butler County Prothonotary's Office saying the state entered a lien against her home of 20 years, to recover $4,583 in unpaid state cigarette taxes, fees and interest.