motor

oldsnail · 02-10-2004, 04:46 PM

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.j...toryID=4324760

Millionaire Hit with Record Speeding Fine
Tue February 10, 2004 08:54 AM ET

HELSINKI (Reuters) - One of Finland's richest men has been fined a record 170,000 euros ($217,000) for speeding through the center of the capital, police said on Tuesday.
Jussi Salonoja, 27, heir to his family's sausage business, was caught driving 50 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone last Thursday, the police said.

Finnish traffic fines vary according to the offender's income and, according to tax office data, Salonoja's 2002 earnings were close to seven million euros.

The final penalty could still change when the case is eventually heard by a Helsinki court, as was the case with Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki, whose 116,000-euro speeding fine was slashed by 95 percent in 2002 due to a drop in income.

If Salonoja's penalty stands, it will beat a speeding fine of more than 80,000 euros paid by Internet millionaire Jaakko Rytsola in 2000, and the 35,000-euro fine imposed on Nokia President Pekka Ala-Pietila in 2001 for running a red light.

robruf · 02-10-2004, 05:10 PM

They threw out all the fines as this was deemed not fair to anyone, basically what they are saying is that since you have the money we are going to charge you more, so if he killed someone he would have gotten more jail, wrong, everyone gets the same penalty for the same crime.

coloradosilver · 02-10-2004, 05:13 PM

Thats so fucking retarded I can't even stand it. The penalty should always reflect the severity of the crime, not what the criminal can afford. That law alone would be enough for me to be looking for a new home in another country.

TT · 02-10-2004, 05:22 PM

Holy fuck! Crazy but perfectly correct if you ask me! I always wondered if something like that would ever exists here! To pay 100 USD for a multimilionare is nothing and he will speed and speed again

proportioned fines, like taxes, are the way to go

Overmind · 02-10-2004, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by TT

Holy fuck! Crazy but perfectly correct if you ask me! I always wondered if something like that would ever exists here! To pay 100 USD for a multimilionare is nothing and he will speed and speed again

proportioned fines, like taxes, are the way to go

yeah, finland's millionaires will certainly agree with you

TT · 02-10-2004, 05:35 PM

Ok, not him, but I don't understand why that should be considered "wrong"... this is perfect: poor ppl won't be overcharged while rich ones would still get a "fine", not a joke

ulti3mat · 02-10-2004, 05:39 PM

That's just crazy...no matter what your income is or who you are...the penalty should be the same for everyone

TT · 02-10-2004, 05:40 PM

But if it's fixed at 100, it's not the same for everyone.. it's a lot for "somebody" and "nothing" for others

coloradosilver · 02-10-2004, 05:40 PM

Thats saying that different people should be punished differently for the same crime. I don't care what you're social or financial status is, I think the punishmant should be the same for eveyone. You say that it's ok because the rich people can afford to pay bigger fines for penalties, and that may be true, they can afford it, but that doesn't make it right. Thats why they pay much more into taxes because they make so much more. A speeding ticket should't work the same way. Taxes is where the state and country make their money off of personal income. Tickets should be an equal set fine for everyone.

TT · 02-10-2004, 05:43 PM

I understand but I still think, as I said above, that it's not "the same" if the fine is at a fixed amount...

02-10-2004, 06:04 PM

i think the punishment should NOT ONLY suit the crime, but also it should suit the committer of the crime. i know it sounds strange but if the millionare paid 100, he will keep doing it again.

The system they have is better for poor people also who can't afford 100.

besides that idiot was probably speeding because he has no respect for nothing. He probably thinks his money makes him SPECIAL, so a punishment like that will teach his punk ass not to speed again !!!

CMonakar · 02-10-2004, 07:05 PM

Lets keep in mind that speeding fines are imposed to create a deterrent effect and not to compensate victims for damage. If you can accept this premise, varying the fine based on income seems quite rational.

asthenia · 02-10-2004, 07:33 PM

I never thought I'd say this, but I think the American/Canadian model makes the most sense. The fine gets bigger depending on how fast you were going, not on how much money you make ... and you also get demerits.

Rack up too many demerit points, and they can take your license. It gives credibility to the idea that speed enforcement is for safety, instead of just generating revenue. Charging people as much money as they can afford just makes the government look greedy.

TT · 02-10-2004, 07:38 PM

Rack up too many demerit points, and they can take your license. It gives credibility to the idea that speed enforcement is for safety, instead of just generating revenue

Also in Finland I'm sure if he would have caught doing 120 the fine would have been 500'000 -> higher

And their model is not done to generate revenue, but to enforce safety... if you'd have to pay 2 USD when going 2x times faster than allowed, do you think you'd respect the limits?

godspeed06 · 02-10-2004, 07:51 PM

paying fines proportional to your income is absurd. i don't want to get totally fucked over by the government just because i work my ass off and make a lot of money. that is way too liberal. i also hate income tax. i think there should be a set percentage of income tax for everyone, the percentage shouldn't increase as one makes more money. besides, a 250,000 dollar fine for 25 mph over the speed limit is cruel and unusual punishment. i can't get over how shitty that is. i would leave the fucking country. that is way too close to socialism for me. fuck that marxist shit.