"The CBO's report shows that tax breaks are skewed in favor of the top 1% of Americans at the expense of other priorities, " Van Hollen asserted in a statement.

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As FORBES has pointed out, this depressed the total salary expense line in the income statement, further diminishing the quality of reported earnings.

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Rule No. 123 has been active for seven years, but only a handful of companies use it to expense stock options on the income statement.

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As FORBES GLOBAL has pointed out (see "Stock options are not a free lunch, " May 18), this depressed the total salary expense line in the income statement, further diminishing the quality of reported earnings.

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"Bank of America denies the allegations and is entering into this settlement to eliminate the uncertainties, burden and expense of further protracted litigation, " it said in a statement.

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