At bigger companies there are often arbitrary pay limits set for non-manager employees. Nobody is going to change those pay scales without making a business case to the finance department.

The problem is that most finance people have no clue about the underlying cost dynamics of software development. Most finance analysts learned from textbook examples based on manufacturing. Many big company finance systems are still set up using software designed for manufacturing.

Guess what that means? You're basically an assembly line worker. BA's and PM's are viewed as either managers or "management track" assets.

This must change. Both for the sake of profitability and fairness to top programmers.

My recommendation, if you know anyone in the finance department try to educate them a little about the cost dynamics of software development. The sort of stuff you'd read about in Code Complete or MMM.

They'll probably ignore you. If they do, fine, whatever. If not, you may have taken the first step in getting your company to understand how to manage their most valuable asset: programming talent.