Rich Should Pay More Tax, Says CEO Who Earned Rs 300 Crore Last Year

Scott Kirby, United Airlines CEO, has called for higher taxes on America's wealthiest individuals, including a national wealth tax and inheritance taxes that could approach 100% at the highest levels.

Speaking in an interview with The New York Times, Kirby argued that growing wealth inequality poses a serious risk to society and requires policy intervention.

"We should have a national wealth tax. It won't work by state because people will just move," Kirby said. "And I think we should have inheritance taxes that get close to 100 per cent at some level. I would pay them."

His comments come amid renewed debate in the United States over how to address widening wealth disparities and whether the richest households should contribute a larger share in taxes.

Kirby said a state-by-state approach to taxing wealth would be ineffective, as wealthy individuals could relocate to jurisdictions with lower tax burdens. He later reiterated his views in an interview with Bloomberg Television, while stressing that he was not attempting to influence public policy or launch a political career.

According to Kirby, the current system creates an imbalance between those who derive their income primarily from wages and those whose wealth is tied to investments and appreciating assets. He argued that policymakers should explore ways to tax increases in wealth while potentially reducing taxes on earned income.

Kirby also criticised the "stepped-up basis" provision of the US tax code. Under the rule, inherited assets are generally valued at their market price at the time of the owner's death, allowing heirs to avoid capital gains taxes on appreciation that occurred during the original owner's lifetime.

The debate has attracted additional attention because of Kirby's own compensation. According to Fortune, he received total compensation of $32.28 million  (Rs 302.71 crore) in 2025. The package included a base salary of $1.2 million, stock awards worth $22.6 million, non-equity incentives of $8 million and approximately $500,000 in other compensation.

By comparison, United Airlines reported that its median employee received total compensation of $96,670 during the same period, resulting in a CEO-to-worker pay ratio of roughly 334-to-1.

Kirby's remarks come as wealth concentration in the United States continues to increase. Federal Reserve data cited by Fortune showed that the richest 1% of American households held 32.5% of the country's total net worth in the second quarter of 2026, up from 31.1% a year earlier. The bottom half of households accounted for just 2.3%.

The United Airlines chief did not specify what level of wealth should be subject to a wealth tax, nor did he indicate at what threshold inheritance taxes should approach 100%.

The United States does not impose a federal inheritance tax. However, the federal estate tax carries a top rate of 40%, with an exemption of approximately $15 million for individuals who die in 2026.

Fortune reported that it had asked United Airlines whether Kirby believes the growing gap between executive and worker pay contributes to inequality, and what specific tax thresholds he would support. The airline did not respond.