Attention all shoppers: Connecticut’s “Sales Tax Holiday” begins Aug. 19, giving back-to-school and other shoppers a seven-day hiatus from paying the state sales tax on clothing and footwear up to $300.
Tax free week this year will run from Sunday, Aug. 19, to Saturday, Aug. 25. It is sponsored by the state’s Department of Revenue Services, whose website has a comprehensive list of the rules regarding tax-free week.
The weeklong tax holiday is geared toward back-to-school shopping and is intended to give parents a temporary break when buying their children’s school clothing. The program exempts the state’s sales tax on most clothing and footwear that costs under $300.
The program applies to any store that sells clothing or footwear, even Rite Aid Pharmacy in Old Lyme is participating, but for the most part it's the big box stores and the malls that are likely to see the most traffic. To capitalize on the event, stores at Crystal Mall in Waterford are holding their second annual sidewalk sale this week to highlight their best deals.
The one-week tax holiday applies to sales made in-state by Connecticut retailers, to online purchases, by out-of-state retailers who are required to collect sales and use tax from Connecticut customers, and “purchases by Connecticut customers on which they would otherwise be required to self-assess use tax,” the DOR website states.
There are restrictions to the tax holiday program. The tax exemption will not apply to accessories and jewelry, or clothing and footwear primarily designed and marketed for athletic use. The tax exclusion, however, can be applied to layaways on clothing and shoes made during the tax-free week.
