Friday, March 06, 2015

$60,000 fine for driving14 mph over the speed limit

See Why Finland fined this driver $60,000 for going 14 mph over the limit. Excerpts:
"Reima Kuisla was on his way to the airport when he got caught going 103 km/h (64 mph) in an 80km/h (50 mph) zone, setting him back 54,024 euros. It’s a seemingly excessive penalty until you realize how Finland calculates its fines.

Unlike in the United States, where the flat fine is based on location and speed over the limit, Finland bases the penalty also as a percentage of daily income, according to the previous year’s tax return. Since Reima Kuisla earned over 6.5 million euros ($7 million) in 2013, he had a penalty equivalent to a brand-new BMW M3. The rationale is that the fine should sting for anyone, whether they’re scraping by or living in the lap of luxury."

"He wasn’t the only one to pay a hefty sum in Finland — a Nokia executive had pay 116,000 euros (over $103,00) back in 2002 for speeding on a Harley. Say what you will about excessive fines, but that's a penalty no one forgets."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i'm not sure i agree with this type of behavior, but then again there has to be a way to enforce rich guys into good behavior. The little fines that ordinary earning citizens pay just may not be enough to pay discourage the rich from their behavior. in that particular sense i think its justified and should be enacted in America.