The big question is why is a stock given in remuneration not considered income but virtually everything else is?
Because stock price can go up and down. Are you prepared to give collected taxes back when stock went and stayed down?
Why is that different than the tax I need to pay if my mother gifts me with artwork worth $25,000?
I received something, its value is not fixed, and I have to pay a gift tax for receiving something of value. I now have wealth that I didn’t have before - taxes due. Indeed its value may go down as the people who admired her die off, or if a great deal of her art is dumped into the market at once, exceeding the number of true collectors in a buying moment.
But if my employer gives me stock options, then I get to wait, not pay taxes at the time of acquisition, and see what it’s worth later?
Can I recoup my losses on the gift (income by altruism) tax later?