Are you a big hitter?

[Cyberman]

But also, I'd guess:
It doesn't include the un-employed - pensioners, jobseekers, tramps - who make up the ranks of the really poor.

Yeah... Sir Fred is really poor !!

[HairyArsedBloke]

You've missed a few characters out: 'bulls'.

I earn nothing whatsoever. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[thunderlizard]

But also, I'd guess:
It doesn't include the un-employed - pensioners, jobseekers, tramps - who make up the ranks of the really poor.

[mace]

God Forbid

That I'd have to earn money. That's for chavs. I make my money from the tenants on my estates and land appreciation. IT is one's hobby.

[Menelaus]

Poll?

[PM-Junkie]

I once hit a six with a square cut (only once mind).

Does that qualify?

[Moscow Mule]

It doesn't include the self-employed - businessmen, contractors etc - who make up the ranks of the really wealthy.

Well, it's not me, I earn less than £10k a year...

[DimPrawn]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8151355.stm

Another way of measuring it is "median" gross annual earnings.

According to ASHE, this was the more modest figure of £20,801, across all employee jobs. If you are earning that sum a year, you are "Mr or Mrs [or Ms] Mid-Point" - precisely half the surveyed working population earns less than you and half more.

For just full-time employees, the median rises to £25,123.

It's safe to assume that for many people, mere entry into the top half of the earnings pyramid does not mean you are earning a "big" salary.

How about the top 25%? A gross annual salary of £31,759 - measured across all jobs - gets you into that club.

How about if you make the top 10%? The ASHE figures reveal that a salary of £44,881 is enough to just edge into that top bracket.

A gross annual salary of £58,917 gets you into the top 5%.

But the standard that has cropped up in newsprint over the years is "the top 1%". It takes £118,027 to get into this bracket. And if you are earning £150,000 - the amount that triggers 50% income tax - you are in the top 0.6% of salaried people, according to the ASHE.

So does that mean that if you earn £45k that you are in the country's top 10% of earners? Sadly it's not as simple as that. The ASHE is a sample of 1% of people who pay tax via PAYE. It doesn't include the self-employed - businessmen, contractors etc - who make up the ranks of the really wealthy.