>>The University of Minnesota now requires employees to turn over frequent flyer
miles (much to my dismay).>>

The thread is fraying from Jordan's original query, but don't employers have to
take such benefits back or record them as in kind taxable employee benefits for
income tax purposes?  How are frequent flyer points any different from other
patronage "kickbacks"?  I presume that because their value is low in comparison
to the admin costs of monitoring and clawing them back, employers have
acquiesced in recovering them.

I personally don't think it is curmudgeon-like of employers to grab the $12,000
prize (although I think they should do so graciously and allow the employee to
save lots of face).  They paid for this lottery ticket.  There is the potential
of tax auditing, and the organizational precedent of conferring such incidental
gains on an employee.  Would there be any work done for the employer at the next
trade show or would all the reps be busy filling in entry forms?
Cheers,
Peter Bowal
University of Calgary