


It just gives shareholders a return on their investment," said Charles Elson, founding director of a corporate-governance center at the University of Delaware.Įlson, however, said there are pitfalls. “There is nothing inherently wrong with a buyback. If buybacks boost a stock's value, investors who hold the shares long enough pay a lower capital-gains tax on the profit when they sell - no more than 20%. Investors often prefer them over dividends, which are treated as ordinary income and taxed at up to 37%. Illinois to tackle orphaned oil, gas wellsĬorporations view buybacks as a way to reward shareholders by reducing the number of shares and making the remaining ones more valuable. The climate, health care and tax bill that President Joe Biden signed this week includes a new 1% excise tax on them beginning next year. Stock buybacks are a favorite target of unions and Democratic lawmakers, who often see them as widening inequality between workers and wealthier investors. airlines reported second-quarter profits, however, and revenue is surging on strong ticket sales. The Arca index of airline stocks is down 21% this year and 41% since the start of 2020.

“Our highest financial priorities right now are restoring our balance sheet and investing in our employees and customers,” a spokeswoman said.Īsked about share repurchases last month, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian did not answer directly because of the prohibition, but he said the airline has a responsibility to customers, employees, “and importantly to our owners.” A Delta spokesman said Thursday that the company has raised base pay 4% and made profit-sharing payments to employees.Ī Southwest Airlines spokesman said only that the airline has not announced any plans for buybacks.Īirlines could be tempted to repurchase stock because the shares might appear cheap. United Airlines said that it is not currently seeking buybacks. A spokesman said Thursday that is still American's position.

All of our excess liquidity will go to pay off debt,” Kerr said. “There is no plan to do any share repurchases. The chief financial officer of American Airlines, Derek Kerr, said in a recent interview that buybacks are not on the table. The unions asked airlines to pledge to forgo buybacks until until airlines fix their “operational meltdowns" and reach new labor contracts - unions are seeking substantial wage increases.Ī union representative said Thursday that none of the airlines immediately agreed to the pledge. She blamed “greed that ran rampant before COVID” with leaving airlines understaffed. “We paused the greed in aviation for a little while," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants. If you believe you are entitled to a refund of any international tax, please submit a refund request.The unions, which represent pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, baggage handlers and other workers, launched a campaign and petition drive that portrays buyouts as a giveaway to Wall Street and a tool for airline executives to boost their own stock-based compensation. For example, Mexican citizens and Mexican residents are exempt from the Mexico Tourism Tax (UK) children under the age of 12 are exempt from the Belize Conservation Tax (FU) and Belize Ticket Tax (BZ) Belizean citizens and Belizean residents are exempt from the Belize Conservation Tax (FU) and Belize Airport Development fee (BU) and children under the age of 12 are exempt from the Cayman Islands Departure Tax (KY) and Cayman Islands Security Tax (SU). and Belize, Cuba, Grand Cayman or Mexico may be exempt from certain taxes if applicable criteria are met. But rest assured, we will do all we can to keep our portion of the air fare as low as possible.Ĭustomers traveling between the U.S. Like all airlines, Southwest must include these taxes and fees as part of the overall fare quote at the time of purchase. Government-imposed taxes and fees on Southwest’s international flights (approximately $73 to $107) are typically much higher than the government-imposed taxes and fees on our domestic U.S.
