John D. Ybarra, II, of Auburn Hills, was hoping for a tax refund this year, but certainly didn’t expect it to instantly double from $1,881 to $3,762.
The 24-year-old won the prize after recently filing his return at the H&R Block office located at 1198 S. Lapeer in Orion Township.
Thanks to H&R Block’s Double Your Refund Instant Win Game, Ybarra received an amount equal and additional to his tax refund.
When Ybarra visited H&R Block on March 4, he met with tax professional Barb Hamilton-Wright to file his 2005 return.
Upon completion, he received a Double Your Refund Instant Win game card, which, when scratched off, revealed the prize.
‘Saturday, March 4th, is a day all of us at the Orion H&R Block office will remember for a long time,? Hamilton said. ‘When I looked to see what he had won and saw the double your refund in the box, I told him ‘You have won double your refund and are the first to win in our office in the two years of the promotion.??
?(Ybarra) grinned and said, ‘Now I can eat!?? she added.
Ybarra agreed that the new found wealth will first take him to the grocery store.
‘That, and it’s going to pay for some of my classes,? said the Oakland Community College student.
Ybarra is one of just two winners across the state, and 100 nationally to date. H&R Block serves about 19 million clients across the country.