“This is no constitutionally governed state; this is a land of rhinos! This is legalized robbery by police. I’m surprised they aren’t allowed to shoot you, too. But of course, if they shoot you, they cannot get any money out of you.”
- Keijo Kopra, a very angry man bitterly complaining after being fined $47,000 for speeding. In Finland, in what the government says is an old Nordic tradition, traffic fines are based on a person's ability to pay. If you're pulled over doing 60 in Helsinki, the traffic cop will punch your ID into his cell phone and instantly receive on his screen your monthly income and an appropriate fine. Kopra was originally fined $14,000 for going 14 MPH over the speed limit. He challenged it in court, but the judge got mad and eventually more than tripled it.
- Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! from National Public Radio
Hot take: Fines should be based on your income. The bigger your income, the bigger the fine.
Fines are something used to discourage someone doing something, but it’s hardly discouraging for a millionaire who can happily take a parking ticket whenever they like, they aren’t above the law.