Companies have been allowed to treat pay as a business expense. Executive pay is pay, so they treat it as a cost of doing business.

It really shouldn't.

What they should do is reduce taxes on bonuses for middle and lower classes. The C-suits don't need the tax break.

Because neoliberals have built managed democracies in every wealthy country the world over, ensuring that every election is between a blue neoliberal and a red neoliberal.