An Oklahoma lawmaker wants to repeal a sales tax exemption on his state’s newspapers and magazines. Because apparently people are still reading too many newspapers these days.State Sen. Jim Wilson (D) argues that the tax exemption for newspapers should be repealed in order to give Oklahoma teachers unpaid bonuses. The state made an agreement to pay teachers $5,000 per year if they became Nationally Board Certified, Wilson said in a statement. But an exemption allowed the state to withhold the bonuses if the money isn’t available. Taxing newspapers and magazines, he argues, will raise the $17 million needed to pay the bonuses. So Wilson on Monday submitted a bill to repeal the tax exemption.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=102459