What are the tax consequences of doing that short term trading? Can distributions be rolled over to an IRA to defer the taxes?
You pay ordinary income tax.
No.
Think of this as a 1.5% bonus. 10% of 15% of your salary.
So you wouldn’t accumulate the stock over say, 10 plus years? Is that because of the current valuation of MSFT, or because it’s not wise to tie up too much of your portfolio in your company stock?
It is generally recommended to not invest in the company you are employed by.
I did this (transfer the stock and then sell it) every 6 months at Motorola. People that kept the stock lost a lot of money. And then they got laid off.