Vancouver Man Saves $4.20 in Sales Tax, Pays $11 to Park, Declares Victory
By Marsh Pendleton · Sightings Desk ·
SALMON CREEK — Area resident Kyle Ostrander, 41, returned from a Portland shopping trip Saturday having saved $4.20 in Washington sales tax on a purchase he drove 22 miles to make, paying $11 to park and roughly $7 in gas.
Ostrander described the trip as a win.
“It’s not about the money,” he explained, laminating the receipt. “It’s about the principle of the money.”
His wife confirmed the receipt would join the others in a binder labeled VICTORIES, which she described as “thick now.”
Economists consulted by this paper noted that the round trip cost Ostrander approximately $14 net, then asked that their names be withheld, citing neighbors who do the same thing.
Ostrander plans to return Tuesday to exchange the item — a second trip he estimates will save him nothing, and which he intends to make anyway, on principle.