United Airlines CEO says ‘I would pay’ near-100% inheritance taxes. Louisiana’s governor fires back: ‘Simply cut a check’

Joseph Zeballos-RoigTue, October 20, 2026 at 3:30 PM UTC

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United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) CEO Scott Kirby thinks implementing a national wealth tax is the way to go. He’d willingly pay it, too.

“We should have a national wealth tax — it won’t work by state because people will just move,” Kirby told the New York Times in an interview published Sunday. “And I think we should have inheritance taxes that get close to 100 percent at some level. I would pay them.”

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Kirby said wealth inequality had become “a danger to our society” that needed to be addressed sooner rather than later.

National wealth taxes on the mega-rich have been championed by progressive lawmakers and policymakers for nearly a decade. Such a tax on the assets of the wealthiest Americans faces its biggest test yet in California’s Proposition 40, which would implement a one-time, 5% tax on roughly 250 billionaires residing in the state, according to the California Budget and Policy Center. It has stirred strong resistance from business executives who argue they will simply pack up and move operations out of the state.

Wealth and inheritance taxes are under the spotlight

It’s rare for a chief executive to endorse a direct tax on wealth. Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes came out in favor of a moderate wealth tax in 2019. Other prominent business leaders such as billionaire investor Warren Buffett and Microsoft founder Bill Gates also endorsed an estate tax in years prior to prevent the dynastic buildup of wealth. The estate tax is levied on the value of an individual’s transfer of property upon death.

Kirby’s wealth tax comments stirred a backlash from some national Republican figures.

“How audacious from a guy that didn’t even build @united and makes $32 million a year. If he feels that strongly he could simply cut a check,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wrote on X. He linked to the US Bureau of Fiscal Service which oversees an account where public donations are accepted to shrink the national debt.

“Let’s see you step up and place your money where your mouth is!” Landry said.

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There’s a distinction to be drawn between income and wealth. Income is what ordinary workers earn through wages or certain investments taxed by the federal government. Taxing a person’s wealth is a separate exercise, as the government would collect levies on assets like stocks, yachts, paintings, and more.

Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren has proposed a 2% annual tax on fortunes above $50 million, scaling to 3% for individuals who have beyond $1 billion. Her office estimates it would raise $6.2 trillion over a decade. Critics, though, argue it would be difficult to administer, face legal battles and spur an exodus of the rich from the US.

Read More: Here’s the average income of Americans by age in 2026. Are you keeping up or falling behind?

Only a handful of states have an inheritance tax

An inheritance tax is imposed on the heirs of the deceased. According to the Tax Policy Center think tank, only five states have an inheritance tax on the books: Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Iowa phased out its inheritance tax in 2025.

Under the Trump administration, Republicans have sharply narrowed the estate tax as more families have been exempted from paying it over the years — despite widening inequality. The top 10 percent held 60% of all wealth in 2022, up from 56% in 1989, while the bottom half held 6% in both years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Despite the U.S. public’s increasingly sour views of the country’s future, Kirby offered an optimistic take. “I think the future of the United States is incredibly bright,” he told the Times. “I am not down in the dumps like a lot of people.”

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Source: “AOL Breaking”