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United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby called for a national tax on wealth and inheritance taxes that could approach 100% at some level in an interview published October 18. He did not outline a plan; current federal law generally taxes certain estates, not accumulated wealth, and the impact of any new tax would depend on details lawmakers have not set.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby called for a national wealth tax and inheritance taxes that could approach 100% at some level, in an interview with The New York Times published October 18. Kirby offered no detailed plan, so his comments signal a position in the debate over wealth inequality, not a tax proposal currently set to change Americans’ bills.
Asked about declining public trust in corporate executives, Kirby said wealth inequality had become a danger to society and argued that a wealth tax would need to be national. “We should have a national wealth tax — it won’t work by state because people will just move,” he said. He also said inheritance taxes should “get close to 100 percent at some level,” adding, “I would pay them.”
The distinction matters: a wealth tax generally applies to net worth—assets minus debts—rather than annual earnings. It could apply even when an asset had not been sold and its owner had not received new income. The United States does not currently have a federal tax on accumulated wealth as such. Under current rules, investment gains are generally subject to capital gains tax when assets are sold, although other tax rules can apply.
Federal estate tax applies to some wealth transferred at death, with the estate generally responsible for payment, rather than the heir. The source report says the top federal estate-tax rate is 40% and that the exemption for people who die in 2026 is $15 million per person, or $30 million for couples. Many estates therefore do not owe federal estate tax. State rules differ, and a small number of states impose inheritance taxes on certain beneficiaries.
How New Taxes Could Reach Wealth
Kirby’s remarks put a prominent business executive on the side of proposals that would tax wealth itself or transfers at death, rather than relying only on taxes tied to income, spending or realized investment gains. For households, that distinction could affect when a tax bill arises: a wealth tax might be owed based on asset values even if an owner had not sold investments to raise cash.
That does not mean Kirby’s comments will change current law. Any national tax would require lawmakers to settle questions such as the tax rate, wealth threshold, valuation date, payment schedule and treatment of debts. Those decisions would determine who pays and how much. The source report notes that valuing privately held businesses, art and other assets without a public market could pose particular challenges.
Kirby’s personal willingness to pay, which he stated in the interview, is a viewpoint, not evidence of how a tax would affect other taxpayers. The consequences would depend on a law’s design and on how individuals and businesses responded. The interview itself does not establish that a proposal has congressional backing or a path to passage.
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Current Rules and State Debates
The federal system distinguishes among income, accumulated assets and inherited property. Wages and some investment gains are taxable, while increases in an asset’s value are generally not taxed as capital gains until a sale. Estate tax rules apply to qualifying transfers after death; inheritance taxes, where imposed, are state-level taxes that can apply to recipients under the state’s rules. Inheriting money does not automatically create a federal income-tax or inheritance-tax bill.
The source report also describes state-level proposals that raise related but not identical questions. It says California voters are scheduled to consider Proposition 40 on November 3, a proposed one-time tax of up to 5% on certain covered assets held by billionaires who were California residents on January 1, 2026. The measure is not a recurring national wealth tax. The report says advocates expect revenue mainly for health care, with some for education and food assistance, while opponents warn that wealthy residents could leave. Those are competing arguments about a state ballot measure, not settled outcomes.
Other cited state debates concern income taxes, not total wealth: Colorado’s Amendment 87 would replace its flat 4.4% income-tax rate with graduated rates, including higher rates for people earning more than $500,000, while Washington voters are to decide whether to repeal a 9.9% tax on annual income above $1 million. These proposals illustrate why tax discussions need to be distinguished by what is taxed and where.
“Wealth inequality has become a danger to our society, and we need to address that.”
— United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, in an interview with The New York Times published October 18
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Key Design Questions Remain
Kirby did not provide a legislative text or explain which assets, taxpayers or inheritances his proposed taxes would cover. The interview, as described in the source report, does not specify a minimum net-worth threshold, tax rates, exemptions, valuation methods or whether a wealth tax would be annual or collected on another schedule. Nor does it identify a bill or say that lawmakers have adopted his recommendations.
The practical and economic effects are also unsettled. Valuing assets that do not trade regularly can be difficult, and the source material presents both supporters’ and opponents’ arguments about potential state-level tax effects without establishing a national outcome. The article does not provide a detailed analysis of how a federal tax might affect particular households, businesses or government revenue.
Some timing and policy details in the source concern future votes and tax rules; readers should distinguish those scheduled decisions from current law. The clearest confirmed development here is Kirby’s public endorsement, not a change in tax obligations.
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Watch for Policy Proposals
The next meaningful development would be a specific proposal from lawmakers: a bill or formal policy plan would show how a wealth or inheritance tax might work and who could be liable. Until then, Kirby’s comments remain an executive’s public view rather than an enacted policy. Readers should check federal and state tax rules as they stand when making decisions; no new federal wealth tax is established by this interview.
Separately, voters’ decisions on the state measures described in the source report could provide a test of public support for different tax approaches. Those votes would concern their own state proposals and would not, by themselves, create a national wealth tax or determine how Congress might act.
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Key Questions
What tax changes did United CEO Scott Kirby support?
Kirby called for a national wealth tax and inheritance taxes that could approach 100% at some level. He did not give a detailed proposal.
Is there currently a federal tax on a person’s total wealth?
The source report says the United States does not generally tax accumulated wealth as a separate category. A proposed wealth tax would differ from income tax and from capital gains tax on investments, which generally applies when assets are sold.
Does inheriting money automatically mean owing federal tax?
No. Under current rules described in the report, an inheritance does not automatically create federal income tax or inheritance tax. Estate-tax liability depends on the estate and applicable rules; some states also tax certain inheritances.
Did Kirby propose a specific tax rate or threshold?
No. He did not specify which assets would count, who would be covered, what thresholds would apply or how often a wealth tax would be collected.
Will Kirby’s comments change what people owe in taxes?
No tax change was announced in the interview. Any new federal tax would require further policy and legislative action.
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