The etymological origin of fine is found in Latin. Specifically, it must be emphasized that it derives from the word "fine", which can be translated as "penalty" or "punishment".
A fine is a pecuniary punishment . It may be a criminal or administrative sanction that forces the punished person to pay a certain amount.
For example: "The supermarket received a fine for not respecting the price agreement it signed with the government" , "A neighbor who cuts down a tree without authorization from the municipality can be punished with a fine of up to 50,000 pesos" , "The confederation analyzes impose a fine on the club for the poor condition of the playing field .
There are several words that can function as synonyms for fine. Specifically, among the most significant, in addition to those already mentioned, are surcharge , lien , corrective or warning.
It is interesting to know that some of the first fines in history appear included in the well-known Talion Law, dated 1790 BC. However, they were also already included in the famous Code of Hammurabi, from the 18th century BC.
When the competent authority establishes the fine, the obligation to pay arises for the fined party. In case of failure to comply with the established deadlines, various measures can be applied against the debtor.
Fines are common penalties for traffic violations . Suppose that the road legislation of a city establishes the mandatory use of seat belts and prohibits, among other actions, running red lights , parking in certain places and talking on the phone while driving. If a person fails to comply with any of these rules, they receive a fine in accordance with the provisions of current regulations. The greater the severity of the offense, the higher the fines (that is, the greater the amount of money to pay).
If a traffic officer observes that a man is driving his car while talking on his cell phone and, at that same moment, he crosses a red light, he can order him to stop and fine him. Since the fine for talking on the phone while driving is 3,000 pesos and the fine for crossing a red light is 5,000 pesos , the subject will have to pay 8,000 pesos for his offenses.
Basically in the field of traffic and road circulation it must be established that there are three types of fines in Spain:
-The minor ones, which involve a financial penalty, but do not cause you to lose points on your driving license.
-The serious ones, which can amount to up to 200 euros and do involve the loss of points. This group will include actions such as jumping a traffic light or stop, overtaking inappropriately or not using the relevant lights.
-The very serious ones, whose fines amount to 500 euros and which establish the withdrawal of up to 6 points from the driving license. Specifically, examples are driving in the wrong direction or doing so at a speed much higher than the permitted speed.
You can also receive fines for not returning books to the library on the agreed date or for not complying with the measures imposed due to the coronavirus crisis, among other things.