Connecticut “Tax-Free Week” in Its 16th Year
August means back-to-school shopping, and once again, many items of clothing and footwear can be purchased without paying Connecticut sales tax during “Tax-Free Week.” The event, now in its 16th year, runs during the third week in August, beginning Sunday, August 21 through Saturday, August 27.
During the Sales Tax Holiday Week, most individual items of clothing and footwear priced under $100 are exempt from Connecticut Sales and Use Tax. For items costing $100 or more, sales tax is calculated on the full purchase price.
Said Department of Revenue Services (DRS) Commissioner Kevin B. Sullivan, “The ‘tax holiday’ has become a staple of Connecticut’s back-to-school shopping season. Many retailers schedule sales to coincide with sales tax-free week, which helps shoppers save even more money because sales tax is applied after the use of any coupons or discounts. So while the price of an item may start above the $100 taxable threshold, after discounts are applied, it becomes less than $100 and is not subject to sales tax that week.”
This year, the state expects about $4.5 million in Sales and Use Tax exemptions during the August “tax holiday” week.
On the DRS website at www.ct.gov/drs, visitors can find Information Publication 2015(22), Annual One-Week Sales and Use Tax Exclusion on Clothing and Footwear Costing Less than $100.