Once again, donno, my post was not based entirely on how I perceive reality, but more on the way I wish things could be. I agree that states with income taxes probably aren't faring markedly better right now. I suspect that at least some of that may be due to increased unemployment and decreasing wages affecting those states the same way they are affecting ours. It seems a bad economy is bad for everyone.

I understand that an income tax is not any better for our individual bottom lines than sales taxes, etc. It's just a different way of getting what should be a similar amount of money from us. The main reason I favor an income tax over our current system is that it makes the amount of revenue the State will have for budgeting much more predictable, leaving less margin for revenue forecasting error, which I believe has contributed significantly to our state's budget crisis. It also should give the citizens a solid number (that can't be "adjusted") to look at when comparing what should be available to what is being budgeted, thereby making the budgeting process more accountable and transparent.

Finally, just to reiterate, the ONLY scenario in which I favor a state income tax is one in which all sales taxes are repealed. Whether or not that's likely to happen is a different matter, and your pessimism to that end may be spot on. I am starting to think our Legislature favors the taxes on consumer spending and fees because they make it easier to manipulate the budget in their favor based on proposals to increase revenues. It's easy to create revenue on paper, just like it's easy to create paper fish.