Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Finland issues traffic ticket fines based on how much money you make

Finland issues traffic ticket fines based on how much money you make!

Finnish tradition is to fine according to gross income. For years, this was based on the honor system. Finnish police would ask the person pulled over how much they made per year, consult a table, and fine them accordingly.

The police hated it, though, because they were constantly lied to about how much people made. So, recen
tly they got new high-tech tools for calculating traffic fines. Well-to-do Fins are pretty upset at the new hefty fines they are receiving.

Motorists started protesting and complaining about the prices. It wasn’t fair that they were charged on their gross income instead of their net income. So, in 1999 the government made major changes, including basing fines on net income.

The biggest change was that the police can use their cell phones to tap into official public records and find out motorists’ income. The changes have allowed for fines to be more accurate, much to the dismay of the motorists.

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