Graduated income tax fairest way to go

Your March 5 cover story on the fight for a graduated income tax amendment posed the question in a misleading way, given that poor and middle class residents are already taxed at an effectively higher rate under our current structure. Your headline could have just as easily read, "Will suburbanites pay less with a graduated income tax?"

It's not surprising that our state's wealthiest individuals and corporations are fighting hard to protect their own interests at the expense of the rest of us, but that doesn't mean we have to believe their scare tactics. The bottom line is that those who have benefitted during these difficult economic times should be paying more - not less - than the majority of hardworking Illinoisans. A graduated income tax is the only way we can make that happen.

Tom Terranova

Elk Grove Village