Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP)

Sarah Austin

Senior Analyst

Sarah Austin

Sarah is a Senior Analyst at ITEP. She focuses her research on progressive revenue-raising options for states. Before joining ITEP in 2025, Sarah served as senior policy advisor to the Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. Prior to that, she served as the research and policy director at the Maine Center for Economic Policy where she focused her research on state budget advocacy, refundable tax credits, and progressive tax policies to improve revenue adequacy and fairness.

Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree from Unity College and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin.

 sarah at itep.org

Recent Publications

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States Begin Decoupling from Flawed ‘QSBS’ Tax Break

November 6, 2025 • By Nick Johnson, Sarah Austin

A costly tax break for wealthy venture capitalists is drawing some critical attention from state policymakers.

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The Wealth Proceeds Tax: A Simple Way for States to Tax the Wealthy

October 30, 2025 • By Carl Davis, Sarah Austin

Taxing the proceeds generated by wealth through a new Wealth Proceeds Tax is a simple way for states to raise billions in new revenue and improve the fairness of their tax systems.

More Publications by Sarah Austin

Recent Media Mentions

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New York Times: Trump Has a New Auto Loan Tax Break. Here’s Who Could Benefit.

December 31, 2025 • By Sarah Austin

Many Americans can take advantage of President Trump’s deduction on auto loan interest, but the tax break will provide only modest savings. Read more.

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Virginia Public Radio: What a “Wealth Proceeds Tax” Could Look Like in Virginia

November 3, 2025 • By Sarah Austin

Tax the rich. That’s the idea behind the wealth proceeds tax, which would hit things like dividends, interest and capital gains. A new report from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says a three percent wealth proceeds tax in Virginia would generate about a billion dollars of new revenue.…

More Media Mentions of Sarah Austin