Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Mr. Levin's Stock Options
WSJ ^ | October 11, 2007 | WSJ

Posted on 10/11/2007 7:00:15 AM PDT by Brilliant

Edited on 10/11/2007 7:04:57 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]

If there were a Hall of Fame for those who've done the most to pad the pay of top CEOs, Carl Levin would be a first-ballot shoo-in. Strangely, however, the Michigan Democrat seems unhappy with his own political handiwork.

The Senator was chief architect of the biggest single boon to stock-option issuance back in the 1990s -- the change in the tax code that limited the tax deductibility of executive pay to $1 million, unless that pay was "performance based." Stock-option grants have since soared, and executive pay has climbed to even greater heights. The difference is that now close to half that CEO compensation comes from options, which avoid his $1 million cap because the options are in the money only if the stock goes up. Ergo, they are "performance-based."


(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Politics/Elections; US: Michigan
KEYWORDS: levin; stockoptions

1 posted on 10/11/2007 7:00:21 AM PDT by Brilliant
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Brilliant

On the state level in Michigan most taxpayers are getting shafted. Some are fighting back:

http://www.mitaxpayers.org/


2 posted on 10/11/2007 7:13:04 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee ("A politician can't give you anything he hasn't first stolen from you.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson