United CEO Scott Kirby Backs Near-100% Inheritance Tax

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is calling for a national wealth tax and inheritance levies approaching 100% on large estates, positioning himself against the interests of the investor class that funds his own company. The proposal, outlined in an interview with The New York Times published Sunday, places one of America’s most prominent corporate executives directly at odds with standard Wall Street orthodoxy.

“Wealth inequality has become a danger to our society, and we need to address that,” Kirby told the outlet. He argued any such levy must be implemented nationwide rather than at the state level to prevent wealthy Americans from relocating to avoid paying it. “I would pay them,” he added.

Kirby did not specify what wealth threshold would trigger the proposed inheritance tax or what rate he would support for a national wealth tax. His comments come as proposals to increase taxes on wealthy Americans continue to generate debate over their potential effects on investment, economic growth and government revenue.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is calling for a national wealth tax and inheritance taxes approaching 100% for certain estates. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A federal wealth tax would differ fundamentally from existing income and estate taxes by targeting the total value of an individual’s assets annually, rather than solely taxing income earned or wealth transferred after death. No such tax currently exists in the United States. Proposals floated by progressive lawmakers in recent years have typically targeted net worth above $50 million or $1 billion, though none have advanced through Congress.

Kirby’s proposal would also represent a significant departure from the current federal estate tax system, which imposes a top marginal rate of 40% on taxable estates above applicable exemptions. The federal estate tax has a basic exemption of $15 million per individual in 2026, according to the IRS. Raising that rate to near 100% would effectively eliminate generational wealth transfer for estates above whatever threshold Congress might set.

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The push for radical tax restructuring contrasts sharply with the pricing architecture Kirby defended during the same interview. Asked about the cost for travelers without frequent-flier status to avoid middle seats, he framed the airline’s unbundled fare structure as consumer choice.

“There are some customers who want to sit in a window seat or a better seat, and that costs money to deliver,” Kirby said, according to the Times. He maintained that charging passengers for the services and products they choose allows airlines to serve customers with different preferences.

Fox Business host Dagen McDowell criticized the remarks, pointing to what she described as hypocrisy between advocating for confiscatory taxation while simultaneously defending elite status pricing structures that segment consumers by spending power.

United CEO Scott Kirby also said charging passengers for the services and products they choose allows airlines to serve customers with different preferences. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

A United Airlines plane flies past clouds after taking off from San Francisco International Airport. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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Despite his concerns about wealth inequality, Kirby expressed optimism about the broader U.S. economy, telling the newspaper that he believes the country’s future is “incredibly bright.”