Should fines be tied to income?

[The Straight Story]

Poll question: Should fines be tied to income?

IE if you get fined for driving without a seat belt, etc, should your fine be a percent of your income so that the rich and poor both feel the 'pain' equally?

[Maine-ah]

1. what if the offender does not have an income?

[The Straight Story]

2. Then they are in debt (basing fines on poverty level) and, uh, what happens to them now? (nt)

[Cant trust em]

6. I believe that there are certain exemptions.

I could be wrong though.

[dysfunctional press]

7. most fines also offer jail time as an alternative.

they'd become a guest of the state.

[glen123098]

11. Would you be OK with people going to jail because of a seatbelt ticket?

[dysfunctional press]

13. i'm not okay with seatbelt tickets in general.

but- if the penalty for breaking a law is either a fine or jail time- they need to do one or the other.

[ipaint]

3. If it's the same percentage for rich or poor

then the rich do not feel the same degree of pain.

[notesdev]

4. Most fines are for revenue purposes

They're just a way to extract more money from people going about their business.

If someone wants to ride around without a seatbelt, that's their risk, and their business. Cops should have better things to deal with - and if they don't there should be fewer cops.

[The Straight Story]

5. Yeah well, you won't find folks here usually agreeing with that

I feel the same about people who want to smoke in a bar with other like minded folks, their body, their choice, butt out - the same with wanting to work there (and I know a few bar maids who smoke and work at bars).

But now we have a lot of people who want to 'protect' us from ourselves, kind of the like the church wants to protect us and keep us from sinning.

Your body, your choice is only good on ONE topic, outside of that many seem to abandon it.

[taterguy]

8. Do you have a source for that or are you just making it up?

I only know of one instance where fines were for revenue:

When Virginia experimented with very high fines for traffic offenses.

For most traffic fines, it costs the state more to collect it; once you pay the officer, attorneys, judges and other support people involved.

[notesdev]

14. Most of them won't admit it, of course

The bill in Virginia which did admit it was refreshing in its honesty, but otherwise no different than what goes on everywhere else.

I point to the fact that the elected officials who push this stuff into law are frequently caught transgressing those very same laws, as evidence that they don't really believe that these laws improve safety.

[taterguy]

17. So in other words, you're just making it up

In Virginia, the fine exceeded the cost of collecting it.

In most other situations, the reverse is true.

[notesdev]

18. No, I'm using common sense

Anyone who has ever heard of a speed trap knows it's not revenue negative.

[taterguy]

20. Fine, cite a budget that demonstrates that

If it's "common sense" it shouldn't be too difficult

[notesdev]

22. Enjoy

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-07-21-parkingfines_N.htm

You're fighting a losing battle trying to argue that revenue isn't the motive force behind fines, anyone can google "fines +revenue" and get more evidence of the phenomenon than they'll have time to digest.

[taterguy]

23. That's a newspaper article, not a budget

Try again

[Chemisse]

10. I agree with your seat belt opinion.

I believe in erring on the side of freedom.

With the seat belts, you are only hurting your stupid self if you don't wear it. So why should "Big Daddy" tell you you are naughty and slap your hand with a fine?

You should just have the good sense to do it yourself, and if you don't, I guess evolution is taking its course.

[ixion]

9. Other: There should be no fines

because there should be no mandates.

[Libertas1776]

12. Ditto!

[phasma ex machina]

19. +1 Best solution. (Voted yes.) K&R. nt

[Tesha]

15. It's already done in the more-civilized nations in Europe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day-fine

Under this system, a Nokia VP was recently fined something
like 87,000 Euros for racing his motorcycle through Helsinki.

Tesha

[bigwillq]

16. There should be no fines

for not wearing a seat belt. It's a personal choice to wear one or not.

[valerief]

21. Richest people don't have incomes. They have capital gains. nt