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Day-Fines: Should the Rich Pay More?

  • Elena Kantorowicz-Reznichenko EMAIL logo
Veröffentlicht/Copyright: 6. Juni 2015
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Abstract

Fines are an efficient method of sanctioning since the burden on the taxpayer for enforcing it is low and the offender is transferring wealth to society. However, using law-and-economics analysis, this paper suggests that the day-fine is a superior model to other forms of fines. This pecuniary measure takes into account the income of the offender and the severity of the offense. Consequently, criminals with different socioeconomic status committing the same crime would pay the same portion of their wealth but not the same absolute amount of money. Using this structure, the day-fine has a potential to deter equally both the rich and the poor and to avoid the costly sanction of imprisonment.

JEL Classification: K14; K42

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Michael Faure, Christoph Engel, Louis Visscher, Paul Mevis, Thomas Ulen and an anonymous reviewer for their valuable comments. In addition, I am grateful to the participants of the 1st Topics Workshop in Criminology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and faculty seminars at Bologna University and at Erasmus University Rotterdam for their useful suggestions. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to Jaroslaw Kantorowicz for all his comments and support. All possible mistakes remain, however, my own.

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Published Online: 2015-6-6
Published in Print: 2015-11-1

©2015 by De Gruyter

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