OKLAHOMA CITY - Tulsa World reports that state Sen. Jim Wilson has introduced legislation to eliminate the sales tax exemption on newspapers and periodicals, which would bring in about $17 million a year for the state ?" "about the same amount of money he said nationally board certified teachers are owed for unpaid bonuses over the past three years."

"The state made an agreement to pay teachers $5,000 per year if they became nationally board certified," Wilson told the newspaper, adding, "I believe it??s much more important to keep our promises to these educators than to provide sales tax exemptions for newspapers."

According to Wilson, the Oklahoma Tax Commission said that removing the tax exemption on newspapers and periodicals would raise about $17 million ?" the same amount Wilson says is owed to nationally board certified teachers.

Wilson??s estimate, however, may be too high. Oklahoma Press Association Executive Vice President Mark Thomas told Tulsa World that for newspapers, the estimated revenue coming in from a sales tax would be less than $2 million a year. He also noted that newspapers are exempt from the state sales tax "for a good reason."

"It allows the newspapers to do their constitutional role ?" to be a watchdog of the government on behalf of the people without having to worry about reprisals on the part of public officials," he told the newspaper, adding, "The power to tax is the power to destroy."