CHARLIE MAHONEY FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

“To me, it’s not clear yet how much of it’s actually going to be incremental improvement,” said Ryan Cohlhepp, 36 of Westborough.

CHARLIE MAHONEY FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

“They’ve got to make money somehow,” said Mita Lino, 45, of Somerville, who owns an optical store. “If it has to go up, it has to go up.”

CHARLIE MAHONEY FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

“We would give up something to do what we believe in,” said Judy Scotnicki, 70 of Concord, here with her husband, Jack.

CHARLIE MAHONEY FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

“My partner and I are in the upper echelon of finances, and we under­stand the fact that people like us will have to pay more,” said Earnest Offley, 28.

CHARLIE MAHONEY FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

“Good for [Gov. Patrick]!” said John Gibbons, 71, of Watertown, a musician and teacher. “I’ve been dying to pay more taxes for a good cause.”

CHARLIE MAHONEY FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

“I don’t even got enough money to get on the train right now, and he’s talking about raising taxes,” said James Monroe Harris, 64, of Grove Hall.

CHARLIE MAHONEY FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

“It’s not particularly fair to raise taxes on those who work hard,” said Chanan Reitblat, 22 of Somerville, a researcher. “It kind of disincentivizes income.”