WESTPORT — Taxes, which share a certainty in our lives with only one other inevitability, take a brief holiday from that equation during the state’s annual “Sales Tax-Free Week,” which starts Sunday, Aug. 18.

During the week-long promotion — through Saturday, Aug. 24 — retail purchases of most clothing and footwear priced under $100 are exempt from the Connecticut sales and use tax of 6.35 percent, according to an announcement by Gov. Ned Lamont.

The tax exemption applies to any eligible item costing under $100, regardless of how many of those items are sold to a customer on the same invoice. Click here for a listing of the types of merchandise eligible, and not, for tax-free sales.

In Westport, a number of merchants also are offering special sales in junction with tax-free week, according to the Westport Downtown Association.

“This year’s tax-free holiday lands a little earlier to give families a head start for the back-to-school season, which will be here before we know it,” Lamont said announcing the promotion.

The sales tax also is not imposed on eligible merchandise purchased online for less than $100 during Sales Tax-Free Week, according to the announcement.

Online sales are not subject to sales tax when the customer pays the full purchase price or is fully charged for the item during the designated week, regardless of when the item is delivered. 

For more details about Sales Tax-Free Week, check the state Department of Revenue Services website.