Gerhard,

On Sat, 25 Aug 2007 10:22:14 -0300, Gerhard Fiedler wrote:

> Howard Winter wrote:
> 
> >> Isn't there some general rule that the penalty must correlate somehow to
> >> the damage done that may override individual laws? At least in certain
> >> countries?
> > 
> > There certainly is in Europe, 
> 
> Not sure you can say "Europe" WRT law yet, at least not generally :)

Actually in a lot of cases you can - and increasingly so.  It seems that these days whenever a particular aspect of law is complained-about to 
HMGovernment, they claim they can't change it because European law overrides it...

> > but it doesn't stop my local council having the same fine for overstaying
> > a car parking place by 1 minute as for not paying for it in the first
> > place.  
> 
> I think, WRT my comment above, that there is a difference between a fine
> and a penalty, and that the rule mostly only applies to penalties. But
> IANAL :)

A fine *is* a penalty!  The "ticket" that you get if you break most minor motoring laws here (parking, speeding, etc) is called a "Fixed Penalty 
Notice".

Cheers,


Howard Winter
St.Albans, England


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