NATION Corporate proxy statements reveal extent of perks

Companies pay millionaire CEOs for small expenses as well as big ones.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The executive perk, much criticized during the corporate scandals of the past few years, is still thriving at many big companies, where top managers take personal trips on company jets, have their taxes paid or get free home security systems.
The perquisites listed in the most recent proxy statements of Fortune 100 companies don't reach the excesses reported at Tyco International Ltd. or Adelphia Communications Corp., companies whose former CEOs have been tried for larceny or fraud. But the proxies show that the highest paid executives collectively enjoyed $30.9 million in additional compensation beyond salaries, bonuses and stock awards.
The most popular perks included free personal rides on corporate jets -- companies spent a total of $6.4 million flying their CEOs. Companies also picked up $6.6 million of personal tax bills and paid $575,989 for executives' personal financial planning.
They also paid millions for temporary housing, forgiven loans, relocation expenses, personal cars and above-market interest on deferred compensation.
David W. Dorman, AT & amp;T Corp.'s chairman and CEO, gets a $12,000-a-month housing allowance from the company for his New York apartment, which has views of Central Park. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. spent $1.5 million to relocate Andrew R. Bonfield, its chief financial officer.
Criticism
The perks are legal, but critics say they're in bad taste, and are also bad for shareholders.
"Because these are less visible to the general public, they can be slipped in without a lot of furor," said Samuel Hayes, a professor of finance at Harvard Business School.
Nell Minow, editor of The Corporate Library, a corporate governance advocacy group, said, "It's absurd to see these goodies handed out to people who are in the upper fraction of a fraction of the wealthiest people in the United States."
But defenders of perks say some make sense.
Alan Johnson, a New York compensation consultant, said some companies pay for the CEO's health club membership, "as a nudge, just so he takes care of himself."
And, noting that 16 Fortune 100 companies require their executives to fly company jets for all trips, both personal and professional, Johnson said, "some of it is really security-related."
"Within the Fortune 100, I don't think you're stretching the imagination that you're a target."
One company that mandates the flights is General Electric Co., whose top five executives took $1.4 million worth of personal flights on company jets last year.
"We made the decision in view of the circumstances around the world," spokesman David Frail said.
Taxes paid, too
Because the IRS views personal flights on corporate jets as compensation, many companies such as Hewlett-Packard Co. also pay executives' taxes on the flights.
Companies claim that flights required for security reasons are not part of an executive's compensation, but Keith Jones, director of field specialists for the IRS, said the agency challenges blanket claims that executives must fly corporate jets for security reasons.
"You have to show a threat," Jones said. "It has to be reasonable: If you're flying someplace where there are security concerns or flying during an orange [national security] alert."
Other perks cost much less.
ConocoPhillips Co. and Bank of America Corp. paid for some executives' home alarms. ConocoPhillips paid its president and CEO, James J. Mulva, a total of $6.8 million, including $229 to service his home security system.
But even such small sums rankle critics.
"To effectively nickel and dime the company for perks when you're making millions of dollars is unseemly," said Charles Elson, director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware. "They're paid enough, they can afford to pay their own expenses."
Offering few perks
Only a handful of companies handed out few perks. Cisco Systems Inc. had none, while Supervalu Inc., Intel Corp. and HCA Inc. listed only their additional retirement contributions for executives.
Intel said in its proxy it "seeks to maintain an egalitarian culture in its facilities and operations." That means no reserved executive parking spaces, no separate dining room and no "personal-benefit perquisites to officers."
Gail Dundas, a company spokeswoman, said, "It's really to put the focus on ideas. Ideas are valued, not your title. It's a meritocracy."
Other companies reported that they had paid for perks they didn't disclose. Many, including The Walt Disney Co., said in proxy statements that they don't report, and aren't required by the Securities and Exchange Commission to report, perquisites below $50,000 a year or 10 percent of an executive's pay.
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