Donald Trump was fined $10,000 on Wednesday after the New York judge overseeing his civil fraud trial said the former U.S. president violated a gag order for a second time.
I think in some Scandinavian country like Finland there are wealth-proportionate fines. So a rich person could get a $30,000 speeding ticket if they’re not careful.
Which is still problematic. If I make a million a year and my fine is 10k, that’s less meaningful to them than 300 is to someone who make 30k per year.
I don’t know the exact proportion but it is meant to be painful but not debilitating no matter your degree of wealth. Yes, it’s fundamentally more consequential to lower incomes, but it’s a hell of a lot better than the system we have in the US.
I think in some Scandinavian country like Finland there are wealth-proportionate fines. So a rich person could get a $30,000 speeding ticket if they’re not careful.
Which is still problematic. If I make a million a year and my fine is 10k, that’s less meaningful to them than 300 is to someone who make 30k per year.
I don’t know the exact proportion but it is meant to be painful but not debilitating no matter your degree of wealth. Yes, it’s fundamentally more consequential to lower incomes, but it’s a hell of a lot better than the system we have in the US.
Edit: autocorrect
I agree it’s better, but the impact on someone’s life should be the same. Otherwise, you disproportionately target the poor.
That’s the entire point of it being wealth-proportionate. To hit everyone hard enough that it hurts without crushing them.