Developers, Utilities Top List of Big Property Tax Payers
The annual scorecard is in and the biggest businesses in Orange County, as far as the county tax collector is concerned, are . . . no big surprise.
Land developers, utilities and oil companies own the largest chunks of land and pay the biggest real estate tax bills in the county, with Walt Disney Co. sneaking in because of the incredibly high value of the acreage under its Disneyland amusement park in Anaheim.
On the other business property roll--the one that tallies taxes on so-called unsecured property, or stuff that isn’t bolted down--cable television companies and airlines are the biggies, with a couple of local manufacturers thrown in for good measure.
The leading real estate taxpayers on the county’s 1995-96 tax roll are: the Irvine Co., with a $33.3-million tax bill--representing a land value in excess of $3.3 billion at the minimum tax rate of 1% of assessed value; Southern California Edison Co., $16.7 million; Pacific Bell, $15.6 million; Mission Viejo Co., $15 million; and Irvine Apartment Communities (formerly a division of the Irvine Co. and still controlled by Irvine Co. owner Donald Bren), $12.8 million.
Rounding out the top 10: Walt Disney Co., $9.8 million; Rockwell International, $7.6 million; Marriott International, $3.9 million; Southern California Gas Co., $3.6 million, and GTE Directories Services, $3.5 million.
On the unsecured property tax roll, which covers boats, airplanes and “business property used for the production of income,” says assistant tax collector Gary Cowan, cable operator Cox Communications was in the lead with a bill of $2.3 million--representing taxable property worth at least $230 million.
American Airlines came in second with a bill of $1.4 million, followed by Comcast Cablevision, $1.3 million. United Airlines and TWI Cable tied for fourth at $1.1 million each and Silicon Systems placed fifth at $861,000.
*
John O’Dell covers major Orange County corporations, manufacturing and economic issues for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5831 and at john.odell@latimes.com
