WHITE PLAINS -- New York Gov. David Paterson says tax increases won't be part of any package state leaders come up with to plug a $1.5 billion budget deficit.

The governor was asked about taxing the rich during a town hall meeting recorded Wednesday for television. He says "a tax on the wealthiest New Yorkers would only exacerbate" the problem with the current budget.

He said during a news conference afterward that the no-tax pledge applies to all residents.

Paterson had previously ruled out borrowing to close the gap, and much of the hour-long question-and-answer session with suburbanites dealt with the pain of cutting spending.

He says: "It weighs on your conscience even when you think you're right."