Receiving stocks in the UK means paying a lot of tax that you have to pay immediately (45% of the fair value) on an asset that is an illiquid investment. It is

Receiving stocks in the UK means paying a lot of tax that you have to pay immediately (45% of the fair value) on an asset that is an illiquid investment. It is a bad idea and you're much better off getting stock options, so that you only pay tax when you exercise, and you would only exercise when you can sell, so you have money to pay the tax. Then the whole point of working for a startup is that you can have larger upside than in a more established firm, often 4x. Finally even in established firms it is common for high compensation to be paid out in shares/stock options (be it in the company itself or a fund) and/or deferred, which is not any different anyway, except the value is a bit more battle-tested.