It won’t exactly come as a surprise that the Boeing Co. is Snohomish County’s largest taxpayer. The aerospace giant, after all, owns the world’s largest building, by volume — the big factory at Paine Field in Everett. Who rounds out the top 10? Telecommunications companies, a utility, real estate companies and retail heavyweights.
You know the retailers: Eight Fred Meyer stores comprise No. 5. Fred Meyer is owned by Cincinnati -based Kroger Co. And Alderwood mall is No. 7. It’s owned by Chicago-based GGP.
The big real estate companies, however, aren’t household names, unless they happen to own the roof over your head. Equity Residential (No. 4), a national real estate investment trust, owns large apartment complexes, mainly in Mill Creek and Bothell. Teachers Insurance &Annuity Association (No. 6), better known as TIAA-CREF, owns business parks in the Canyon Park area of Bothell.
Most of the taxes paid by the utilities and telecoms are related to business equipment, not real estate. Frontier Communications’ total includes office buildings the company sold in November 2012.
Top Snohomish County taxpayers
Ranked by 2012 assessed property value.
| Taxpayer | Type of business | Assessed value | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Boeing Co. | Commercial aircraft | $1,639,791,196 | http://www.boeing.com |
| 2. Frontier Communications | Telecommunications | $375,531,564 | http://www.frontier.com |
| 3. Puget Sound Energy | Gas and electric | $223,035,636 | http://pse.com |
| 4. Equity Residential | Real estate | $163,642,963 | http://www.equityapartments.com |
| 5. Fred Meyer | Retail | $149,539,146 | http://www.fredmeyer.com |
| 6. Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association | Real estate | $122,452,158 | https://www.tiaa-cref.org |
| 7. GGP (Alderwood mall) | Retail real estate | $121,309,072 | http://www.alderwoodmall.com |
| 8. Arden Realty | Real estate | $120,647,500 | http://www.ardenrealty.com |
| 9. T-Mobile USA | Telecommunications | $106,360,347 | http://www.t-mobile.com |
| 10. Essex Property Trust | Real estate | $97,210,840 | http://www.essexpropertytrust.com |
SOURCE: Snohomish County Assessor
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