Police give a record $216,900 speeding ticket
02-10-04, 05:18 PM
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Police give a record $216,900 speeding ticket
Finnish Police Give Record Speeding Fine
Tue Feb 10,12:49 PM ET Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!
HELSINKI, Finland - Police gave a record $216,900 speeding ticket to a millionaire under a system in which traffic fines are linked to an offender's income.
The Iltalehti tabloid reported that millionaire Jussi Salonoja zoomed through the city center last weekend in a 25 mph zone and police handed him a ticket of $216,900. It didn't say what his speed was.
The fine was based on information they got directly for the inland revenue office, the Tuesday report said.
Salonoja, 27, could not be reached for comment, and police declined to discuss the alleged speeding incident until it reaches the Helsinki Regional Court at a later date.
Although it's the costliest ticket to date, it's not the first with a big price tag.
Two years ago, Anssi Vanjoki, then executive vice president of Nokia (news - web sites)'s mobile phones division, landed a $148,000 ticket after being caught doing 46 mph in a 31 mph zone on a motorcycle.
It was later lowered to about $7,500 after he showed a court that his income had dropped, but not before Finns flew into a rage over the high fine. But, after weeks of Parliament debates, discussions on TV shows and expressions of disgust in the media, Finns did nothing and the system remained.
Other hefty speeding tickets have included a $71,000 one for a professional hockey player and one for $190,000 given to one of Finland's wealthiest people.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._speeding_fine
Tue Feb 10,12:49 PM ET Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!
HELSINKI, Finland - Police gave a record $216,900 speeding ticket to a millionaire under a system in which traffic fines are linked to an offender's income.
The Iltalehti tabloid reported that millionaire Jussi Salonoja zoomed through the city center last weekend in a 25 mph zone and police handed him a ticket of $216,900. It didn't say what his speed was.
The fine was based on information they got directly for the inland revenue office, the Tuesday report said.
Salonoja, 27, could not be reached for comment, and police declined to discuss the alleged speeding incident until it reaches the Helsinki Regional Court at a later date.
Although it's the costliest ticket to date, it's not the first with a big price tag.
Two years ago, Anssi Vanjoki, then executive vice president of Nokia (news - web sites)'s mobile phones division, landed a $148,000 ticket after being caught doing 46 mph in a 31 mph zone on a motorcycle.
It was later lowered to about $7,500 after he showed a court that his income had dropped, but not before Finns flew into a rage over the high fine. But, after weeks of Parliament debates, discussions on TV shows and expressions of disgust in the media, Finns did nothing and the system remained.
Other hefty speeding tickets have included a $71,000 one for a professional hockey player and one for $190,000 given to one of Finland's wealthiest people.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp..._speeding_fine
02-10-04, 06:56 PM
#5
Racer
WOW!!!! U know how many complete sets of turbo/superchargers u can get with that kind of money!!!! Crazy.
02-10-04, 07:52 PM
#6
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
"from each according to his ability, to each according to his need [for speed]." -Karl Marx ("[for speed]" mine) 
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02-10-04, 08:18 PM
#8
Guest
Posts: n/a
I am not rich but I am working on it. And this is the type of crap they complain about. I agree. That is too much. WHat if the man donates hella money to charity? This is ridiculous. Pathetic. Way to much money for a fine.
We should fined the police for everytime they pull us over for absolute non-sense. According to their income...
We should fined the police for everytime they pull us over for absolute non-sense. According to their income...
02-11-04, 04:49 AM
#11
I'm not sure if i'm in total dissagreement.
The pain of a speeding ticket should be felt by everyone.
A rich guy getting a ticket for $500 will not feel as much pain as the struggling guy getting the same ticket.
Maybe the fine is a little over the top, but i think fines should be different.
The pain of a speeding ticket should be felt by everyone.
A rich guy getting a ticket for $500 will not feel as much pain as the struggling guy getting the same ticket.
Maybe the fine is a little over the top, but i think fines should be different.
02-11-04, 07:30 AM
#13
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
"DWD" says it best:
"Marx and Lenin are having a laugh...in hell.
(For those unfamiliar, this is a reference to the very failed communist tenet of, from each according to their ability, to each according to their need.) In reality the grossly disproportionate fine compared to the wrongness of the act is simply another way for the government to confiscate money from its citizens to fund out of control welfare systems instituted to buy the votes of the lazy masses."
"Marx and Lenin are having a laugh...in hell.
(For those unfamiliar, this is a reference to the very failed communist tenet of, from each according to their ability, to each according to their need.) In reality the grossly disproportionate fine compared to the wrongness of the act is simply another way for the government to confiscate money from its citizens to fund out of control welfare systems instituted to buy the votes of the lazy masses."
02-11-04, 09:25 AM
#14
Lexus Test Driver
Originally posted by Gekko
"DWD" says it best:
"Marx and Lenin are having a laugh...in hell.
(For those unfamiliar, this is a reference to the very failed communist tenet of, from each according to their ability, to each according to their need.) In reality the grossly disproportionate fine compared to the wrongness of the act is simply another way for the government to confiscate money from its citizens to fund out of control welfare systems instituted to buy the votes of the lazy masses."
"DWD" says it best:
"Marx and Lenin are having a laugh...in hell.
(For those unfamiliar, this is a reference to the very failed communist tenet of, from each according to their ability, to each according to their need.) In reality the grossly disproportionate fine compared to the wrongness of the act is simply another way for the government to confiscate money from its citizens to fund out of control welfare systems instituted to buy the votes of the lazy masses."
02-11-04, 02:10 PM
#15
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I'm not sure if i'm in total dissagreement. The pain of a speeding ticket should be felt by everyone.
A rich guy getting a ticket for $500 will not feel as much pain as the struggling guy getting the same ticket.
Maybe the fine is a little over the top, but i think fines should be different.
A rich guy getting a ticket for $500 will not feel as much pain as the struggling guy getting the same ticket.
Maybe the fine is a little over the top, but i think fines should be different.
It reminds me of basketball stars who really couldn't possibly care less about a 500 dollar Technical or a 25k or 50k fine for swearing, post game interviews no shows, tardies...etc..etc..I bet it would make them think twice before they act so immaturely if the penalties were a percentage of their income.