A multimillionaire in Finland has been slapped with a 121,000 euro fine for speeding.
A multimillionaire in Finland has been slapped with a 121,000 euro fine for speeding. Businessman Anders Wiklof, 76, was caught driving 30 km/h above the speed limit in Finland, where speeding fines are calculated based on the offender’s income as well as the severity of the offence.
“I really regret the matter,” Wiklof told local publication Nya Aland. “I had just started slowing down, but I guess that didn’t happen fast enough. It’s how it goes.”
He hopes the fine – equivalent to half his disposable income for 14 days – will be put to good use. “I have heard the government wants to save 1.5 billion euro on healthcare in Finland, so I hope that my money can fill a gap there,” he said, adding that perhaps there should be “cap” on the amount of fine offenders pay.
In Finland, penalties for traffic violations are calculated based on the offender’s daily disposable income, which police can check by connecting instantly to the country’s central tax database, The Guardian reported. Daily disposable income generally refers to half the daily net income. This system of proportional fines is also followed in other Nordic countries.
In Wiklof’s case, the fine of 121,000 euro (Rs 1 crore and 67 lakh approximately) was unusually high because he had two previous cases of driving over the speed limit. He was hit with a 95,000 euro fine in 2013, and then a nearly 64,000 euro fine five years later in 2018.
Because of this, Wiklof’s driving license has also been suspended for 10 days.
