[1] Fiscal fines can vary between £50 and £500, but a compensation offer may be issued either separately or additionally with similar effect but with payment going to the victim of crime: these can be of any amount not exceeding £5,000.
[2][3] Whilst not being recorded as a conviction[4] or formal admission of guilt,[5] the payment of a fiscal fine can be revealed in certain circumstances, including a requirement by the General Medical Council for disclosure.
[14][15] The Crown Office responded by rejecting any claims that some sex offenders were offered fiscal fines instead of facing prosecution.
[16] In the four years leading up to September 2013 showed that 189,256 fiscal fines had seen warning letters issued for non-payment.
[17] The enforcement regime was also criticised in 2017 in the Scottish Parliament when figures revealed 45% of fiscal fines issued remained unpaid.