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FLORIDA - By the end of the day an estimated six million Floridians will have bought something online.

Shoppers are logging on to take advantage of Cyber Monday discounts on the busiest online shopping day of the year.

As Whitney Ray tells us, the online shoppy frenzy will benefit mostly out of state retailers and do little to help the state fund its budget.

Fifty, 60, even 90 percent off retail prices, coupled with free shipping and shopping at your leisure have one in three Floridians clicking the "Buy Now" button this Cyber Monday.

Despite the state's economic troubles shoppers are expected to spend hundreds of millions of dollars. Good news for the state's dwindling bank account, right? Not exactly.

Online shoppers don't pay state sales taxes on all their purchases. Only stores with offices in Florida collect the tax. The rest are costing the state more than two billion dollars a year.

The obligation to pay the tax is on the buyer.

Ononde Thelematue / Jr. West Palm Beach, "We did not know that."

Ononde Thelematue and Sheila Josil shop online frequently. Neither knew their purchases weren't being taxed. They were just focused on the savings.

Sheila Josil / Junior, West Palm Beach, "Overstocked.com has like really cheap things on certain stuff you can get inside the store for really expensive, that's like really really cheap."

Online stores are not just costing the state billions in sales tax revenue, according to Florida TaxWatch, they also undercutting their brick and mortar competition.

Robert Weissert / Florida TaxWatch, "They are not reinvesting in our community. They are not supporting local charities, who are providing local jobs, who are owning local property and pay in taxes. They are the ones who are avoiding all that and we are giving them a six percent discount."

State lawmakers want to fix the problem by synchronize elements of the Florida's tax code with 22 other states to make paying internet sales taxes easier. Congress is also looking at ways to make online stores honor Florida's tax laws.Cyber Monday Competes With Black Friday

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Monday, November 30 2009, 07:47 PM EST

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