"But here's the problem: the price is the same no matter who you are. A $200 fine might completely upend one family's budget, forcing them to choose between paying the city and paying the rent. For someone else, that same $200 is so small it barely registers. The result is a system that often fails at the one thing it's supposed to do: change behavior."
"Our legislation would launch a pilot program to test a better approach: fines based on income, also known as day fines. The idea is simple: a fine should sting enough that you don't want to break the rule again. If it's too small to matter or too large to ever pay, it misses the point. Scaling fines to income keeps them meaningful for everyone."
"This isn't about punishing anyone or giving anyone a break. It's about basic fairness and common sense. Right now, New York City is owed more than $1 billion in unpaid fines and fees. That's not because people are all scofflaws. It's because many fines are simply unpayable for the people receiving them. And when people can't pay, the city collects nothing, behavior doesn't change, and trust in the system erodes."
Low-level civil fines for offenses like leaving trash out early, failing to shovel after a snowstorm, or noise complaints carry the same dollar amount for everyone. Equal fines create disproportionate effects: a $200 penalty can upend one family's budget while being inconsequential to another. The result is widespread unpaid fines, unchanged behavior, and eroded trust in enforcement. A proposed pilot would test income-scaled fines (day fines) so penalties deter repeat violations while remaining payable. Income-scaled fines aim to increase collections, enhance fairness, and keep penalties meaningful across income levels. Other countries, including Germany and Sweden, use similar systems.
Read at www.amny.com
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