Hundreds of people bused in from across the state packed into a State House auditorium Tuesday morning to rally in support of Gov. Deval Patrick's tax plan, which they say is critical to make much needed improvements in education and transportation infrastructure. 

The rally, which was organized by Campaign for Our Communities, a coalition of more than 120 organizations across the commonwealth, ended with attendees heading off to the offices of their representatives, urging them to vote for Patrick's plan.

The governor's $34.8 billion budget proposal calls for an increase in the income tax from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent and the elimination of 44 deductions coupled with a decrease in the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 4.5 percent and a doubling of personal exemption. 

Patrick said at Tuesday's rally that the time had come to speak as "grown-ups, in a fact-based way, about taxes, because taxes are the price of civilization." 

By Patrick's estimates, those who make under $62,000 a year shouldn't see an increase in taxes and that those who make $100,000 will, on average, see a rise of a $300 to $400. To allow individuals to see how the plan would affect their taxes, the governor's office last week released an online tool that calculates users' tax bill.