Fines in Finland Are Income-BasedIn Finland, fines are income-based. In 2002, a Nokia executive received a US$103,000 speeding ticket.

Often complained about is the inequality in punishments between the rich and the poor. People with a lot of money can afford to risk getting a speeding ticket, which in most countries usually comes with a fine of a few hundred dollars at the most.

Finland, however, breaks down this barrier and applies fines proportional to the offender’s income.

One such case was that of Anssi Vanjoki, a Nokia executive, who was driving at 45 miles per hour on a stretch of road that had a 30 miles per hour speed limit. After checking his income on the database of taxpayers, they issued a fine of €116,000 (US$103,600), which was equivalent to 14 days worth of his US$12.5 million yearly income at the time.

Another case saw Reima Kuisla, a local businessman who was caught driving at 65 miles per hour in a 50 miles per hour zone, fined €54,000 based on his €6.5 million per year income.

These rules of proportionality apply for some other traffic fines, but also include shoplifting and securities-exchange law violations.