Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines recently gave an interview to The New York Times, where he talked about the rise in airfares, as well as about issues like wealth inequality. Kirby defended the rise in airfares, and the extra fees for window and aisle seating, saying “it’s expensive to fly airplanes.”
“Some people just want to get from A to B at the cheapest price possible. There are some customers who want to sit in a window seat or a better seat, and that costs money to deliver,” Kirby explained, according to the Times. “The way to give everyone what they want is to charge for the services and products that those customers want.”
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However, what gained more attention was Kirby’s comments on wealth inequality, which he brought up when the Times asked him about waning trust in CEOs and his responsibility in dispelling it.
“Wealth inequality has become a danger to our society, and we need to address that,” he said. “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% at some level. I would pay them.”
Despite his concerns about wealth inequality, Kirby expressed optimism about the broader U.S. economy, telling the newspaper that he believes the country’s future is “incredibly bright.”
Kirby did not specify what wealth threshold would trigger the proposed inheritance tax or what rate he would support for a national wealth tax.
This comes amid growing debates on wealth taxes. This November, California will reportedly vote on what, if approved, would become the world’s first billionaire tax.
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Several of the wealthiest individuals are opposed to such initiatives. Google co-founder Sergey Brin alone has donated $102 million to a group seeking to undercut the proposed wealth tax by proposing competing initiatives that could effectively cancel it out.
While Kirby’s views seem unusual among corporate leaders, there are others that seem to be at least open to the idea, according to Business Insider. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently reiterated his willingness to pay potentially billions of dollars if California’s wealth tax goes into effect. “I don’t mind paying taxes,” Huang said. “The more you make, the more taxes you pay, so I’m OK with it.”