The 2 percent solution

I heartily agree with Tom Cosgrove (The 2 percent solution, Boston Globe, March 2, 2009: A11). We need a progressive state income tax.

This could easily be achieved by amending the Constitution to say: "Massachusetts Income Tax will be a percentage of the Federal Income Tax paid; the percentage to be set by the General Court from time to time."

Then the Massachusetts tax form would be the shortest in the United States: just 3 or 4 lines indicating what you sent to the IRS, the appropriate percentage of that, the amount withheld and the amount due (to be paid or refunded). Think of the energy released into productive work during March and April of each year.

While we are about it let us fix the gas tax too. It should be set as a % of the wholesale price of gas. I would like to see a relatively high tax with 80% of the funds going to highways, bridges and rapid transit and 20% going as a tax rebate in some form to those at the bottom of the income scale.