Dagen McDowell criticizes United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby for his proposal for a national wealth tax and near 100% estate tax. She denounces double taxation and highlights the hypocrisy of pricing for the airline’s elite status.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is calling for a national wealth tax and inheritance taxes close to 100% for certain inheritances, arguing that growing wealth inequality poses a threat to American society.
Kirby, who took home about $32.3 million in total compensation in fiscal 2025, made the remarks when asked about the public’s declining trust in business leaders during an interview with The New York Times.
“Wealth inequality has become a danger to our society, and we must address it,” Kirby told the outlet in an interview published Sunday.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is calling for a national wealth tax and inheritance tax approaching 100% for certain estates. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The airline executive argued that a wealth tax should be implemented nationally rather than at the state level to prevent wealthy Americans from moving to avoid paying it.
“We should have a national wealth tax — it won’t work on a state-by-state basis because people will just move,” Kirby told the outlet. “And I think we should have an inheritance tax close to 100 percent at some level. I would pay it.”
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Kirby did not specify what wealth threshold would trigger the proposed estate tax or what rate he would support for a national wealth tax in the quoted remarks.
| Teleprinter | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 95.60 | -0.50 | -0.52% |
His comments come as proposals to raise taxes on wealthy Americans continue to spark debate over their potential effects on investment, economic growth and government revenue.
United CEO Scott Kirby also said that charging passengers for the services and products they choose allows airlines to serve customers with different preferences. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
A federal wealth tax would differ from existing income and estate taxes by targeting the value of an individual’s assets rather than just income or wealth transferred after death.
Kirby’s proposal would also represent a significant change from the current federal estate tax system, which imposes a maximum marginal rate of 40 percent on taxable estates above applicable exemptions. The federal estate tax has a basic exemption of $15 million per person in 2026, according to the IRS.
United’s CEO also discussed airline pricing during the Times interview, defending the practice of charging passengers more for certain seat options after being asked about the cost for travelers without frequent flyer status to avoid middle seats.
A United Airlines plane flies through the clouds after taking off from San Francisco International Airport. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“There are some customers who want to sit at a window seat or a better seat, and that costs money to deliver,” Kirby said, according to the Times.
He said charging passengers for the services and products they choose allows airlines to serve customers with different preferences.
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Despite his concerns about wealth inequality, Kirby expressed optimism about the U.S. economy as a whole, telling the newspaper that he believed the country’s future was “incredibly bright.”
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