Some years ago the Government tried to put into practice the principle that fines for criminal offences should be linked to the income of the offender. People found guilty of a crime had to indicate to which income bracket they belonged and this was used to decide the level of the fine. After a few months the Government withdrew the initiative because it produced some decisions that struck the general public as very unfair. For example, people on very high earnings were fined many thousands of pounds for minor offences while those with no income were fined only a few pounds for some really quite serious crimes. Commentators concluded that the public prefer a system where a fine acts as a deterrent and for this to happen the person fined should to some extent struggle to pay it but at the same time a fine should be proportionate to the seriousness of the offence.
Question: A fine of 200 is proportionate to the offence of dropping litter but would be a greater deterrent to someone with a modest income than someone who is rich.
Options:
A. true, B. false, C. uncertain
Answer: C