September 30 , 2009

WEST PALM BEACH - As of October 1, 2009, the Palm Beach County Tax Collector’s Office will no longer hire applicants who’ve used tobacco products on a regular basis during the previous 12 months. Applicants will submit a non-smoking affidavit with their completed job application form to be considered for employment.

Tax Collector Gannon commented that “There’s not much to be said for smoking – it’s a major cause of respiratory and circulatory disease, it contributes to increased insurance costs for us and the Palm Beach County tax payers, it’s unhealthy to be around, and expensive these days”. The Palm Beach Tax Collector’s Office incurs approximately $2.5 million annually in medical insurance costs. Her goal is to create a positive healthy environment in the workplace for all employees while decreasing the costs which result from tobacco use.

About the Palm Beach County Tax Collector:

The Palm Beach County Tax Collector is a constitutional office that collects and distributes over $3 billion annually in taxes and fees.  The Tax Collector's Office:

• collects property taxes for every local government agency that has the power to levy,
• serves the county as its agent for the administration of business tax receipts and tourist development taxes,
• serves the state as an agent for The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles , The Department of Environmental Protection , The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission , and The Department of Revenue ,
• serves the public as an educational resource.