Q: How much would a person have to make per year to be in the top 1 percent in the U.S.?
—Michelle Barnett, Powder Springs
A: The Internal Revenue Service reported that a person would need an adjusted gross income of $343,927 a year to be in the top 1 percent of earners according to 2009 tax returns, several media outlets reported. The 2009 data was the latest year available to the IRS. The Tax Policy Center, which "aims to provide independent analyses of current and longer-term tax issues and to communicate its analyses to the public and to policymakers in a timely and accessible manner," used income figures that take a broader and comprehensive look at income, not adjusted gross income. It said the cutoff for the top 1 percent made $503,086 in 2009 and $516,633 in 2010. The center's figures project to $532,613 in 2011, according to Bankrate.com.
Q: Is it legal for the Ashburn Police Department to sit on I-75 and use radar to catch speeders? I’ve noticed in the last year or two, they are usually sitting at the exits and have pulled people over on I-75.
—Connie Mercer, Boston, Ga.
A: The Ashburn Police Department has a Speed Detection Device Permit from the Georgia Department of Public Safety and can operate those devices on interstates in accordance with Georgia law, Gordy Wright, the Georgia Department of Public Safety's director of public information, told Q&A on the News in an email.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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