Furthermore, if organizations are explicitly accepting penalties to keep on violating the law, that law will be adjusted accordingly. It might take a while, but it will happen. Laws with the intention to change behavior / culture cannot "work" from day one. This is a continuous process steered by politics, courts, governments, and public opinion.
Penalties can be applied repeatedly if the violation continues. It's not a 4% lifetime cap, it's 4% per enforcement action. The DPA can just churn them once a week and then we're at 204% of annual turnover.