Don't speed in Finland.

WHAT?!?!? That's cruel and unusual (in Finland, I guess it's usual) punishment. Do they put more emphasis on the guy's income than the actual speed?

By that logic, I suppose the guy that makes 20K a year going 100mph in a 25mph zone would be fined a lot less. It's a no-brainer who is a bigger menace to public safety.

The degree of offense should be the deciding factor of the fine, not income.

 

It's not like that. For the same crime, they want the punishment to sting the same amount. Obviously, the wealthier you are, the less it will sting if it's a fixed fine. so they scale it to your wealth.

For a 100mph in a 25mph zone, the penalties would be very stiff indeed, probably including jail and loss of driving licensing. The fine component would be very substantial as well. And it would again be scaled to the income.

I don't agree with this on the grounds that it is not equal justice for all. We all pay the same price for grocery, cars, services, etc. So why shouldn't we face the same punishment for th esame crime? But in terms of financial punishment, it is proportional, I suppose. Still, I don't think it's fair. Instead of examining the nature of the crime and deciding on the punishment, they are looking at the nature of the defendant. So a poor person, nominally speaking, has a lot less to lose.