Vote NO on Question 1 on May 2nd

On May 2, 2023, a ballot question will ask for you to accept the proposed Community Preservation Act, which is a self-imposed tax & a “2 ½% override –cloaked as a 1% now to 3% later surcharge”. This surcharge is imposed on all the property taxes of homeowners and businesses in Danvers.

Danvers Taxpayers Must Vote NO on the CPA tax. Again!

In 2016 the same ballot question was soundly defeated by 9000 Danvers residents who voted against this override.

In 2022 the proponents could not even get enough signatures to propose this ballot question.

This year the proponents are using a local election ballot question method, hoping for a low voter turnout, to get your tax money to service their special interests.

The State legislators manipulated the old law and developed a loop hole to make it easier to pass a disguised override during a low turnout election such as this year in Danvers.

The anticipated matching funds (From the Registry of Deeds Trust Fund) are already a fee/tax we all pay for registry recording fees on transfer of deeds when we sell or buy our real-estate properties. These matching funds are sometimes subsidized by the State legislature from the income taxes we already pay to the Mass tax collectors. These innovative tax collections (such as CPA) are taxation without representation.

If accepted, the CPA surcharge will inevitably become permanent as no taxes are ever revoked.

Vote NO on CPA.

Not surprisingly, CPA has been endorsed by dozens of special interest groups including Town Management and the Board of Selectmen. They want more other people’s tax money to serve their special interests. Let’s manage our tax revenue so we all may reap the quality of life benefit for all taxpayers.

The CPA tax redistribution requires another autocratic, unelected committee to be formed and only these special interest appointees will decide how this money is doled out. We already have too much government and too many unelected and restrictive committees.

The business community has NO vote on this matter, yet they will also be burdened with the surcharge, by higher fees and rent increases. If we want to maintain the commercial tax base that helps keep the low residential rates, we need to make sure they are not overtaxed.

Vote NO – CPA No New Taxes!

Why not use the established process where Town Meeting votes on each line item on its own merit and wellbeing of the entire town’s benefit? Danvers Town Meeting has always supported worthwhile projects for housing, open space and historic preservation.

All the quality of life projects authorized and funded by Town Meeting have to go through an extensive review and have public input from our elected bodies and taxpayers. After a thorough review worthwhile projects proceed and serve all the residents of our Town. Special interests sway this process and jeopardize the support needed to pass the appropriations we can afford.

Over the last 30 years, I have not seen projects that warrant support be rejected by Town Meeting.
Special interest groups have special interests, but the elected Town Meeting members have an objective is to serve the entire town and not a few!

Vote NO on added taxation and bureaucracy. Vote NO on CPA tax (Question 1) On May 2, 2023.

Mark Zuberek

Glendale Road