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Anne Gannon, head of Tax Collection Department for the Palm Beach County has put an end to recruiting smokers. Mrs. Gannon told the Associated Press rep last Wednesday that she decided to stop hiring employees who light up on regular basis, citing that her smoking employees frustrate tax-payers who have to pay for increasing costs of health-care.

According to the Chief Tax Collector, currently employed smokers among 240 white-collar working in her agency would not be dismissed, but strongly encouraged to give up their harmful habits. However, they will have to pass more for their medical insurance as she intends to raise the payment made by the smoking employees by almost 20 percent.

Nevertheless, Mrs. Gannon admitted that her principal aim is to reduce the growing expenses on medical insurance and promote healthier and more efficient working conditions.

Taxpayers render nearly $2.5 million annually for medical insurance to the office of tax collector, a price, which grew by almost 50 percent within the last couple of years, affirmed Gannon. Applicants will have to fill in a testimony, confirming they don’t smoke and provide along with other documents necessary for employment application, in conformity with the latest rule.

Mrs. Gannon said she considers smoking as a major cause of raising health care costs, and every person is empowered to decide whether to give smoking and have a decent job or keep puffing and be jobless, because the taxpayers should not pay for the harmful habits of smokers. Gannon added that her parents suffer from smoking-caused diseases.

Opponents of such policy argue that Gannon’s new rules violate constitutional personal freedoms. The policy is a complete discrimination, declared Sid Dinerstein, head of the Palm Beach County Republican Party. "If she will cavil at employees because they light up, she can also cavil at those who prefer fast-food, since it also causes many illnesses. … You can make up a long list of ridiculous requirements people should comply with in order to get a job, the bottom point is that everyone is free to make his own decisions."

But the public health groups and omnipresent anti-smoking advocates, who by the way as well get paid from the taxpayers’ money, said that refusing to employ smokers is a wise decision that could not be contested because the right to smoke is not a constitutional one. Moreover it costs the states almost $96 billion each year spent on treating smoking-related diseases.

The tax collector mentioned that she took time to assure the legitimacy of her new policy in conformity with existing legislation. In 1995, the local Supreme Court confirmed the constitutionality of North Miami's ban on employing smokers.

Florida’s Boca Raton City doesn't recruit smokers for positions in fire or police departments, while Sarasota County refused from employing smokers last year. Broward County, also in Florida required public employees to pay $520 annually as a compensation for their smoking habit.