The amount of the fine increases if it is a repeat offense (Photo: Reuters)
A Finnish businessman and millionaire has been fined €121,76 for speeding, one of the highest fines ever imposed in the world. Anders Wilkoff, 30, was driving 350 km/h above the limit, and the astronomical amount imposed on him stems from the Finnish system whereby the amount of the fine is determined by the driver's income.
"I'm really sorry about that," he told local media in the Aland Islands, an autonomous province on the Baltic Sea. "I started slowing down, but I guess it didn't happen fast enough. That's how it works." Wickloff, chairman and founder of a holding company that earns €70 million a year, said the speed limit changed "abruptly" from 50 km/h to 82 km/h while driving at <> km/h.Like other Nordic countries, in Finland fines are determined by the severity of the offense and the offender's income, which police can check on the spot using their smartphones that connect to the tax authority's database.
According to custom, a "daily fine" is calculated based on the calculation of the offender's daily income, and it usually reaches about half of it. The higher the speeding, the greater the number of daily fines imposed on the driver.
Repeat offender
In addition, Wykloof has been fined twice in the past for speeding, which has increased his current fine. His driver's license was even suspended for ten days. The businessman, after whom the main sports stadium in the provincial capital is named, was fined €2018,63 in 680, five years after he was fined €95,<> for a similar offense.
He said he hoped the fine — equivalent to half of his two-week earnings — would be used in a useful way. "I heard that the government wants to save a billion and a half euros from Finland's health system, so I hope my money can narrow the gap," he said.
Not only are fines imposed for speeding depending on the offender's income, but also for a host of other offenses such as theft and violation of trade laws. This is based on the principle that if taxation is determined by the level of income, so are fines.
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