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

blog    

Relentless State Income Tax Cuts Add Up to Massive Giveaways for the Wealthy

August 26, 2026 • By Sarah Austin

Today's state income tax cutting is defined less by sweeping one-time reforms than by sustained campaigns to ratchet down income tax rates year after year. This approach enables lawmakers to enshrine significant long-term reductions into law, while obscuring the fiscal impact by spreading it across multiple state budgets and legislative…

brief    

The Changing Landscape of State Tax Rates

July 21, 2026 • By Sarah Austin

Many states have repeatedly cut top personal and corporate income tax rates in recent years, sometimes while approving increased sales tax rates to push tax systems in a more regressive direction. Other states, however, have charted a very different course and have moved to increase taxes on higher income households…

More Publications by Sarah Austin

Recent Media Mentions

media mention    

Investopedia: Where the Richest 1% Grab the Biggest Share of Income, State by State

September 17, 2026 • By Sarah Austin

In most states, the top 1% of tax filers now collectively out-earn the entire bottom half.

media mention    

USA TODAY: States are relying more on sales taxes. Here's why that matters

July 30, 2026 • By Sarah Austin

Over time, some states have slashed corporate and personal income taxes while also raising the sales tax rate. In 11 states, “all three of those things have happened,” said Sarah Austin, a senior analyst at ITEP and author of the report. 

More Media Mentions of Sarah Austin