The Surprising Genius of a Finnish Parking Fine
In June of this year businessman Anders Wiklöf received a fine of £104,000 for speeding.
Why did he receive such a high penalty?
In Finland, like taxation, financial penalties are progressive for some offences.
Based on the offender’s daily income, in this case Mr. Wiklöf runs a $350 million company, the government fines you at half your day rate.
The number of days depends on the severity of the offence.
As he had previous convictions for speeding, he was fined half his disposable income for 14 days.
He was going 51 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone.
The response he gave to the media was very graceful:
“I have heard the government wants to save €1.5bn on healthcare in Finland, so I hope that my money can fill a gap there.”
It begs the question why aren’t fines a percentage of income rather than a fixed rate?
Rich and poor alike would be penalised fairly and occasionally the exchequer gets an amazing windfall opportunity.
Let’s be honest, it’s got to be easier than negotiating with Amazon’s tax lawyers or stony-faced oligarchs.
