Eyewear Firms Call for Sales Tax Exemption in Canada Court

A U.S. firm asked a Canadian court Wednesday to exempt contact lenses it sold online from sales taxes in a case other eyewear companies say will affect them.

Contact Lens King Inc. told the Federal Court of Appeal Wednesday the lenses should be zero-rated because they qualify for a medical device tax exemption. Customers automatically confirm lenses are prescribed by providing biometric details during their online orders, Guillaume Rochon, the company’s counsel and lawyer with Ravinsky Ryan Lemoine s.e.n.c.r.l., told the hearing.

“The simple fact that a person can write the diameter of their eye, their iris or their …