Sarah Buttikofer is a communications intern who focuses on translating state and local tax policy into engaging and accessible information for the public. She is currently pursuing undergraduate degrees in Print Journalism and Criminology at Penn State. Previously, Sarah worked at Penn State’s Prevention Research Center, where she honed her ability to translate complex research findings into clear descriptions for the public.
Recent Publications
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Six Companies Reaped $83 Billion in Federal Tax Breaks in 2025
August 14, 2026 • By Matthew Gardner, Sarah Buttikofer
Six companies alone accounted for $83 billion of federal tax breaks disclosed by publicly traded U.S companies so far for 2025. Microsoft received a record high for single-year federal tax breaks for one publicly traded company, followed by Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, JPMorgan Chase, and Nvidia.
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Flying Under the Tax Radar: How Profitable Airlines Avoided Federal Income Taxes in 2025
July 27, 2026 • By Sarah Buttikofer, Spandan Marasini
Corporate tax disclosures reveal that five profitable airlines paid almost nothing in federal income tax last year. In 2025, the effective federal income tax rates of these airlines ranged from 1.07 percent to below zero.
