Mark Everson, commissioner of the [tag]Internal Revenue Service[/tag], is proposing that corporations stop offering [tag]stock options[/tag] to Chief Financial Officers. The recent [tag]option backdating[/tag] problems are fueling his comments, and he says that CFOs are already rich and shouldn’t have to cheat companies out of more money by manipulating stock options.

Everson suggests that CFOs, general counsel, and non-executive board chairs should receive only fixed compensation. He says that the opportunity for huge gains from stock options makes it tempting for executives to manipulate them. The [tag]IRS[/tag] is considering changes to the tax code for executive compensation packages.