Posted on 03/13/2015 7:13:16 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Reima Kuisla, a Finnish businessman, was recently caught going 65 miles per hour in a 50 zone in his home country—an offense that would typically come with a fine of a couple hundred dollars, at most, in the U.S. But after Finnish police pulled Kuisla over, they pinged a federal taxpayer database to determine his income, consulted their handbook, and arrived at the amount that he was required to pay: €54,000.
The fine was so extreme because in Finland, some traffic fines, as well as fines for shoplifting and violating securities-exchange laws, are assessed based on earnings—and Kuisla's declared income was €6.5 million per year. Exorbitant fines like this are infrequent, but not unheard of: In 2002, a Nokia executive was fined equivalent of $103,000 for going 45 in a 30 zone on his motorcycle, and the NHL player Teemu Selanne incurred a $39,000 fine two years earlier.
“This is no constitutionally governed state,” one Finn who was fined nearly $50,000 moaned to The Wall Street Journal, “This is a land of rhinos!” Outrage among the rich—especially nonsensical, safari-invoking outrage—might be a sign that something fair is at work.
Finland’s system for calculating fines is relatively simple: It starts with an estimate of the amount of spending money a Finn has for one day, and then divides that by two—the resulting number is considered a reasonable amount of spending money to deprive the offender of. Then, based on the severity of the crime, the system has rules for how many days the offender must go without that money. Going about 15 mph over the speed limit gets you a multiplier of 12 days, and going 25 mph over carries a 22-day multiplier.
Most reckless drivers pay between €30 and €50 per day, for a total of about €400 or €500.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
Oh ya....an ability to pay economy.....
Is that Fascist or Communist?
Of course if the fine is based on income, the local police will have access to your tax returns.
How’s that gonna work out here?
Don’t know if it would work - but I know The Atlantic would LOVE to try
Well this would put an end to all of those rich people committing armed robbery and the poor people would still be protected since they would not have to pay any restitution with no income to speak of.
Let’s try it as an experiment in the San Francisco area first. I’d love to see how the libs love big government trying to make things even fairer.
If I’m low income and get caught speeding do I get an Earned Speeding Credit where the cop has to pay me?
RE: If I’m low income and get caught speeding do I get an Earned Speeding Credit where the cop has to pay me?
Come, come, just because Justice Roberts did it, does not mean we should confuse a penalty with a tax :)
I think we should skip all the intermediate steps and go to the final step.
Every expense should be calculated this way - food, fuel, clothing, phones, movies etc. It’s only fair.
What could possibly go wrong?
Let’s apply this to grocery stores. Harry Reid the millionaire pays $20 for a loaf of bread and I pay $0.20, based on income.
From each according to their ability. To each according to their needs.
- Karl Marx
It would not surprise me at all if this became policy in Obama’s “America”.
Congress is exempt.
Wow, speed traps in Finland sure do pay... the state.
I suppose this kind of system does solve one problem of the rich and famous; yes, they do know who you are.
Because its about safety.
I’ve considered this, and the justice of uniform fines independent of income is not so clear.
A fine is not a price, but a punishment. Imprisonment, assuming it does not result in job loss, deprives the person being punished of a certain number of days of income, as well as their liberty for those days. If a fine is seen as a gentle analogue of imprisonment in which the person is deprived only of a certain number of days of income without the accompanying loss of liberty, fine amounts based on income are perfectly sensible without any leveling impulse or leftist notion of “social justice” being invoked.
Of course, were such a system implemented here by any locality or any of the several states, income would need to include the value of government transfer payments and other social benefits, not just taxable income.
Will they include EBT income, political donations from foreigners seeking influence, drug profits and federal subsidies?
Meanwhile in Ferguson, it’s traffic ticket amnesty.
To each according to his needs, from each according to his bank account.
While I dont agree with the system implemented here, there is something to think about.
...and if you’re NOT a “minority” = jack up that fine some more!
Oh yeah, I can see it coming.
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