I don't highlight Finnish stories just because I have two Finnish readers - honest! I do have a strange connection with the country - strange in the sense that I have any connection at all. I've been there on business three or four times and even bought my windows and doors from a company way up in the north of the country. They do certain things right there - and I'm not just talking windows and doors either. A story that has been doing the rounds is that of a rich Finn who got whacked with a stiff speeding fine. How stiff? Er ... EUR170,000 (roughly US$217,000 or £115,000). That's for doing 80kph in a 40kph zone. It seems only 55% of people polled by a tabloid newspaper thought the fine excessive. I'm with the 45%. Here's how the system works over there:
Finnish fines for speeding and other motoring offences are income-related, and are assessed according to net income, on the basis of a certain number of 'days'. The earlier practice of similar fines based on gross income before tax led almost inevitably to economies with the truth amongst radar-trap victims, and now the police have direct GSM phone access to the previous year's tax figures in case offenders are unable or unwilling to say what they are worth.
Posted by Joe at February 13, 2004 04:48 PM€170,000 is kinda steep, but I'll bet that's one motorist that never, ever speeds again!
Posted by: Lisa at February 13, 2004 08:40 PMI think it's a great system - pay according to how much you earn!
Posted by: fusao at February 13, 2004 09:49 PMYep, that's the idea. This guy who was speeding is, as the story tells, very rich. He actually owns an icehockey team (which, incidentally, fails to deliver despite heavy investments - now, where have I heard that before?) and basically inherited his uncles fortune which not only includes food factories (well known for their sausages) but also number of properties in Helsinki. So he won't go bankrupt.
This fine has created mixed feelings, but Finland as a society is very much geared towards equality. Being rich doesn't give you a reason to escape the punishment (although I'm not naive enough to believe this is always the case). A punishment equal to someone with normal income would be no punishment. Of course, what should be done is to remove his license. The old system was quite silly, as bank managers driving expensive Merc's told the police they make a thousand euros a month and the police had no alternative but to accept it.
I've also got those day fines once. I was accidentally (this time it really was) speeding and was pulled to the side by the police. I proceeded to explain I'm just a poor student (*ahem*) and got away with the minimum penalty (at that time about 300 marks or about 50 euros). Well, this was before that GSM system mentioned...
Oh, Jaakko Rytsölä, who is mentioned in the story really knows how to have a good time: he made an absolute fortune in the dotcom industry and managed to spend it *all* in - I think - less than a year. Well, buying Lambourghini's and an expensive house at the best parts of Helsinki, speed boats and so on does help.
Hey Joe, when are you next due to Finland?
Posted by: Marko at February 14, 2004 06:44 AMHonest, officer, I wasn't doin' sheeeee-ooot! I was just goin' to the corner grocery store for a gallon of milk and loaf of bread, 'n I find myself on I-95 headin' south for Florida!
My wife fin' out she gonna kick my ass!
Got any tickets to the ball????
Posted by: DJ at February 14, 2004 02:29 PMWhen am I in Finland next? Goodness knows. I promised myself a visit to St. Petersburg the next time I went to Helsinki. Let's hope both trips come about soon.
Tickets to the Policeman's Ball. ROR!
Posted by: Joe at February 15, 2004 12:23 AM