How Question 1 could impact you 🤑

 It's Tuesday, Boston.

👋 Welcome to our first *official* edition of The B-Side! 

ICYMI, early voting kicked off this past weekend. So if voting on Election Day proper won’t work for you, find out where you can cast your ballot early here.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• These restaurants are using an app to fight food waste

• Some local workers can ride the T for free — find out if you’re one of them

• Local casket company makes a ‘Midnights’ cameo

Up first…

ELECTION 2022 FAQ

Will you pay more in taxes if Question 1 passes?

TL;DR: If you make over $1 million a year, yes. If you don’t, no. But you should know a few more details before casting your ballot. Let’s get into it.

What’s Question 1 again? Question 1 essentially asks voters whether the highest earners should pay more in state taxes. The proposed amendment can be found on the Secretary of State’s website.

What happens if the “yes” vote wins? Massachusetts residents making over $1 million in taxable income would pay an additional 4% surtax only on their income over $1 million.

What’s the math on that? Let’s say I make $2 million a year (if only). Under the new system, I’d pay the state an additional $40,000 a year: 5% on the first million and 9% on the second million, for a total of $140,000. Currently, a $2 million earner pays the state $100,000 in taxes.

What if I’m not a millionaire? Join the club. If you’re making $999,999 or less (which 99.4% of us are), nothing will change for you with this amendment.

What’s the impact? Around $1.3 billion in new revenue, estimates say. However, that number may fluctuate from year to year due to a mixture of how the economy is doing and whether taxpayers move their homes or businesses out of Massachusetts.

Where will all that new money go? That’s up to the state legislature. Supporters of the “yes” measure say the revenue will fund a mixture of education and transportation, but lawmakers are technically not obligated to use the funds in that way. So, TBD.

And what happens if voters say “no”? Nothing changes. Business as usual.

CITY

Quick & Dirty Headlines

🎁 You can buy cheap “surprise bags” from local restaurants to reduce food waste. Restaurants like OAK Long Bar + Kitchen have partnered with Too Good To Go, an app reselling unsold food at a discount. Each bag of surprise goodies at OAK Long Bar + Kitchen goes for $6.99 and has included everything from croissants to clam chowder. Over 270 Boston establishments currently use the app and have saved over 100,000 meals from being wasted. I can personally confirm that this app is incredible. I got a luxurious $20 cheese for $5.

🚇 Does your employer pay for your MBTA pass? If you work at Google, Sanofi, the City of Boston, or any of the retailers at Assembly Row, they will soon. The T announced a partnership with these organizations to provide participating employees unlimited access to subway and local buses through the Pay-Per-Use limited fare program. This initiative works with local employers looking to subsidize their employees’ commuting costs to encourage them to use public transit.

🚧 A massive lab building will displace several Davis Square businesses. The block where construction is planned to take place is currently home to The Burren, Martsa on Elm Tibetan Cuisine, When Pigs Fly, McKinnon’s Meat Market, Sligo Pub, and Dragon Pizza. Some of the businesses worry the displacement will likely result in permanent closure or relocation, but The Burren will remain open during construction (which somehow feels very on brand).

THINGS TO DO

Get out of the house this week

🏒 Snag last minute nosebleed seats to the Bruins vs. Dallas Stars TONIGHT at TD Garden. Puck drops at 7 p.m. | Tickets from $39

💗 Give speed dating a go. Two drinks are included with your ticket, so how bad could it be? Tickets are $39 and ages 24 to 32 are welcome. | Wednesday, Oct. 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Boston Tea Party Museum

🚲 Spin to East Coast vs. West Coast rappers at Rev’d Indoor Cycling. Your first class is free! | Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m. | Copley Place

🔮 Get a free Tarot card reading with local tarot reader and comic Antonio Morales at Trident Booksellers and Cafe. Register here | Thursday, Oct. 27 from 7 to 9 p.m.

🏳️‍🌈 Visit the Portraits of Pride, a free LGBTQ Photography Exhibition celebrating truth and love on display at the Boston Common. | Exhibition closes Saturday, Oct 29 at 4 p.m.

ONE LAST THING

Mass. casket company appears in Taylor Swift music video

Yes, you read that correctly. Andover-based casket company Titan Casket made a cameo in Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” music video last Friday. Boston.com’s Clara McCourt reports that the company got in on the fun, offering a “Swiftie discount” of $50.13 off any casket.

Long story short? There’s always a Massachusetts connection.

🗳️ Thanks for reading! You can find me sending off my mail-in-ballot today, followed by watching what feels like the never-ending season of Bachelor in Paradise.

💃 For more hot takes and late night thoughts, follow me on Twitter and IG @emilyschario. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].