Google’s top executives -- Eric Schmidt, Larry Page and Sergey Brin -- each drew a salary of $1 in 2006, a year the company's revenue grew 73% to $10.6 billion and net income more than doubled.

“Eric, Larry and Sergey voluntarily receive only nominal cash compensation. Their primary compensation continues to come from returns on their ownership stakes in Google,” reads the company’s proxy statement, filed yesterday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. “As significant stockholders, their personal wealth is tied directly to sustained stock price appreciation and performance, which provides direct alignment with stockholder interests.”

CEO Schmidt’s total 2006 compensation amounted to $557,466 -- 95% of which was related to personal security expenses. That total also includes $1,723 in bonus money Schmidt received when the company doled out holiday bonuses to all employees, including Page and Brin.

Page, who is president of products, took in $1 in salary, $1,723 in bonus money, and $36,795 in “other” compensation, which includes transportation and personal security expenses. Brin, president of technology, received $1,724 in total compensation in 2006, according to the proxy statement.

New rules from the SEC are designed to make it easier for investors to see what key corporate executives are making. As of December 15, public companies are required to include in their fiscal year-end proxy statements a summary compensation table that tallies high-ranking executive officers' salaries, bonuses, stock awards, deferred earnings and more.

This is the third year running that Google’s multibillionaire leaders declined to take anything more than a nominal salary. According to the proxy statement: “In 2004, Eric, Sergey and Larry requested that their salaries each be reduced to $1 per year. However, due [to] their strong leadership and Google’s strong overall performance, we offered each of them market-competitive salaries at the beginning of each of 2005, 2006, and 2007. Due to their own preferences not to receive salary compensation, Eric, Sergey and Larry each rejected these offers and continue to receive base salaries of $1.”