United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby called for a nationwide wealth tax and inheritance taxes approaching 100% at an unspecified level, linking the proposals to concerns about wealth inequality, The New York Times reported.
In an interview published Oct. 18, Kirby argued that a tax imposed by individual states could encourage wealthy people to relocate, according to the newspaper. The report said he gave no rate for the national tax or inheritance threshold at which a levy could approach 100%.
The federal estate tax applies to transfers at death. For 2026, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) sets the basic exclusion at $15 million per person and lists 40% as the top marginal rate. Deductions help determine the taxable estate, while credits reduce the tax after it is calculated. Taxable gifts made during a person’s lifetime can also enter the calculation.
The interview account does not specify whether Kirby was proposing changes to the federal estate tax or a separate levy. The available interview excerpts also do not say how revenue from the proposals would be used.
United’s 2026 proxy statement lists Kirby’s total compensation for fiscal 2025 at $32,282,253, including $22,565,804 in stock awards valued at grant date under disclosure rules. The reported total includes stock valued at grant and does not show how much cash he received.
A separate California proposal, covered in earlier reporting on the state’s billionaire-tax measure, would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires who lived in the state on Jan. 1, 2026. The ballot guide says 90% of proceeds would go to public health care, with the remainder for education, food assistance and tax administration. Voters are scheduled to decide on the measure Nov. 3.
