I think you're right, we're talking about different things :) I misinterpreted your comment - I was thinking of things like company cars, travel benefits etc. being considered part of the taxable pay package.
Ah yes - that is true as well. How to convert that kind of benefits into equivalent pay from which you calculate a median - that's not simple either.
For instance, in some country, a health insurance is tax-free and does not count towards a benefit, while in another it might be taxable income or considered part of pay. You could have expatriate employees in your team whose pay structure is entirely different from the rest. Now, if you have a multinational company, how do you put those employees into the table from which you start to calculate this figure for how much the CEO can be paid? Not simple.
