Donald Trump and the taxman

PALM BEACH, Fla. - Donald Trump's properties in Palm Beach County are, in some respects, examples in contrast.

Mar-a-Lago, on Palm Beach's South Ocean Boulevard, is something of a castle. It has giant towers, barriers of trees and an oceanfront view. The Trump International Golf Club on the other hand is a flat expanse of manicured greenery near the Palm Beach County Jail.

How are they the same? Both properties are big and appraised as such. But the size of their bills are not.

Palm Beach County property records show that Mar-a-Lago, a 126-room national historic landmark built in the 1920s, is appraised at about $6.3 million. 

Trump paid the property tax collector $117-thousand  last year. On the other hand, the golf course, with its $12.5 million in total assessed value, must have an even bigger bill, right? Wrong.

After a legal dispute more than a decade ago, the county agreed to lease its property to Trump for the golf course. On the land he built a $4.9 million clubhouse and paid $96,500 in taxes. But on the 7.5 million dollar piece of land the course sits on, because the land is still owned by the county, Trump's bill is zero.

Other celebrities pay big bills in Palm Beach. Businessman Bill Koch pays $469,000  a year on his $25 million  mansion. Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Joe Namath pays $34,000  on his $1.6 million home. Singer Celine Dion pays $301,000 a year to Martin County for her $17 million layout.

You can see how much other wealthy people in our area pay in property taxes on our interactive map.

View Taxes of the Rich and Famous in a larger map