Sales Tax-Free Week Begins in Connecticut

With the fall upon us and kids preparing to head back to the classroom comes back to school shopping.

“Feels like there’s a sense of normalcy coming back,” said educator Reyes Mabasa.

It all coincides with the sales tax holiday. It's a full week where retail purchases of most clothing and footwear items priced under $100 are exempt from the Connecticut sales and use tax.

It applies to each eligible item costing under $100, regardless of how many of those items are in the shopping cart and for some, it definitely makes a difference. 

“Without a doubt, come on now, we got to do everything we can to keep Uncle Sam out of our pockets,” said Hartford resident Carlos Lazu.

State officials said its a win-win deal for both consumers and businesses.

“Having this tax-free holiday helps working families stretch their dollar a little bit more during the busy back-to-school season, while giving businesses an extra boost to their bottom line,” said Governor Ned Lamont.

Kids and parents alike are reaping the benefits.

Rising fifth grader Levi Judd is excited to head back to school and said he’s even more pumped about his new items. “I got, oh, my grandmother got me a whole bunch of shirts. I know the nice stuff for picture day and first day of school,” said Judd.

Lazu, a dad to a 3 year-old, explained that although his son is young, he definitely loves to prepare his little guy for the road ahead.

“We did go back to school shopping, got him some paperwork, line paper. What me and his mother like to do is practice his ABC on the line paper and his 1, 2, 3s,” said Lazu.

And the back to school tradition has Lazu reminiscing on old times.

“It brings me back to when me and my parents used to come here and pack up for the whole school, 100 binders, 100 notebooks so definitely reminds me of everything getting back to normal. We still got to wear the mask and what not, but it’s for our own safety," said Lazu.

Sales tax free week runs through next Saturday, August 21.