Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, has called out wealth inequality, the cost of living crisis and suggested an inheritance tax of up to 100%. These are positions you’re more likely to hear at a DSA meeting than from an airline CEO, so what gives?
Per NY Times, Kirby says he always tries to view things through his passengers’ eyes, and the 300% rise in United’s stock since he became CEO suggests the tactic is paying off. As he says: “For a long time, I said our goal is to be the best airline in the history of aviation. I think we’ve become the best, not at everything, but in totality, I think we’re the best.”
But viewing things from a customer’s perspective has also apparently made him keenly aware that airfare prices are rising beyond regular folks’ ability to afford them. Per the article, airfares are up 22% from a year ago, and Kirby says “wealth inequality” is a threat to the fabric of American life.
“I would pay them”
When asked if the general public has less trust in CEOs, Kirby replied: Wealth inequality has become a danger to our society, and we need to address that. We should have a national wealth tax – it won’t work by state because people will just move. And I think we should have inheritance taxes that get close to 100 percent at some level. I would pay them.”
In practical terms, an inheritance tax at or close to 100 percent would mean that once a person dies and after debts, funeral costs, and administration expenses, the entire remaining estate would be transferred to the government. Children, relatives, or friends would inherit nothing of financial value. It’s important to note that Kirby says “at some level,” so he’s presumably not thinking of applying this to all Americans but to target the super rich.
It’s worth underlining that no country implements anything close to this. The highest inheritance tax rates in the world are Japan at 55%, South Korea at 50%, and France at 45%. The United States currently has an inheritance tax rate of 40% above the large exemption. Perhaps the closest equivalent was Soviet Russia, which heavily restricted private inheritance rather than taxed it.
On that note, if Kirby is serious about this, he finds himself in the estimable economic company of one Karl Marx, who advocated in The Communist Manifesto for the “Abolition of all rights of inheritance” in economically advanced countries.
Published: Oct 20, 2026 10:30 am