How Does Taxing Telecommuters Help NY?

The more I read about how New York state taxes people who work in the state but live elsewhere, the more cheesed off I get. I just think it's a terrible idea to penalize people whose slipper-based lifestyles are easing the congestion and pollution around the city. One would hope the companies employing these out-of-state shut-ins are contributing enough through their other economic activity to make their existence beneficial from the state's point of view.

But nooo, Janie B. Telecommuter and John Q. Videoconferencer have to spend time figuring out how much time they spent working on site and off site in New York, or jumping through hoops to prove to the NY tax (wo)men that their telecommuting arrangements are at the convenience of their employers.

That just isn't helpful, folks.