Finland, Home of the $103,000 Speeding Ticket: Could such a system work in the U.S.?

The Atlantic ^ | 03/13/2015 | Joe Pinsker

[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.

[dennisw]

This kind of bs can be pulled off successfully in a mono ethnic country. The rich dude Finn who pays a $10,000 speeding fine figures that at least the money is going to people who he has a biological kinship with.

Similarly you could have such fines in mono-ethnic Japan and Korea

[SeekAndFind]

RE: This kind of bs can be pulled off successfully in a mono ethnic country.

With the number of Muslims now being accepted as refugees and immigrants to Scandinavian countries, this assumption is slowly becoming inapplicable.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: While I dont agree with the system implemented here, there is something to think about.

we can turn it around and start with this — EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN CITIZEN REGARDLESS OF INCOME SHOULD BE PAYING TAXES.

If you are a citizen, you have some stake in the running of the government and defending this country.

[dennisw]

Finland is lucky being so far north, it has the fewest Muzzies of any Nordic nation.

Feminazi ruled Sweden is the most deranged when it come to allowing Muslims to immigrate to their lovely nation and to salivate after (and much worse) their lovely women.

[rey]

“I’ve considered this, and the justice of uniform fines independent of income is not so clear.”

I hear you on this one. When I was a student or when I was unemployed to get a ticket that was a few hundred dollars was devastating. Most judges will allow you to make payments, still.

I got a cell phone ticket and the cop said it was only $60, but add on court costs and other fees and it was nearly $200. At the time I only made $1400 a month. I cannot imagine what the car pool ticket ($481 (how’d they get such an odd number) would be with court costs and fees. We do have an amendment that is supposed to limit excessive fines and bail, but it is hardly heeded.

That said, I’m not sure I’d support a system here as the one in the article.

[Mastador1]

Gosh we already have a system like that here, if your ann illegal you get a pass, if you’re White you get the shaft

[Jack Hammer]

Karl Marx is smiling in h*ll.

[terycarl]

Equal protection under the law....it wouldn’t work here