Record speeding fine : OMG!

[telford_mike]

from Netscape News:





Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004

Millionaire Hit with Record Speeding Fine









HELSINKI (Reuters) - One of Finlands 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 familys 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 offenders
income and, according to tax office data, Salonojas 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 Salonojas 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.

 

[toms_cup]

 

[172gal]

WTF

Thats ridiculous

 

[Tom1600]

Serves them right.

 

[CUP80Y]

Thats sh*t, they then go and fine some bum who didnt work hard at school £60 for the same offence!! I know hes inherited the business but even so - it aint right.

 

[Dave]

Richer ppl can afford to pay heavier fines.

Its like when a Premiership footballer gets fined a weeks wages by his club. Sure it may be £30,000 but whats that to someone on £1.5m a year? Absolutely nothing at all. Its not a punishment.

If someone is absurdly rich, the system of giving them fines for committing offences puts them a notch above the law. For instance, you think David Beckham would be unduly worried by a £60 fine and 3 points? Theres not a snowballs chance in hell that hed spend more than a millisecond thinking about it.

But if it happens to a 18year old student - theres the "sh*t where am I going to get £60 and f**k what are the insurance company going to rape me with when they hike up my insurance".

Basically my point is that richer ppl are above the punishments that the law dish out for minor crimes. I think fines should be set against the offenders income. That way Mr Lucky Rich b*****d gets as annoyed as Mr Student when he gets a fine and there is less chance of him reoffending. Which is why the fines are there in the first place - as a deterrent. What deterrent is a £60 fine to Mr Salonoja? Sweet FA of a deterrent. If the fine goes through maybe hell watch his speed a bit more in future.

Rant ovr.