refund. so that natural boost that a lot of people rely on this time of year may not necessarily be there sadly enough to make you want to delay filing taxes. but here are some stats for you. according to an american express survey, 19% of taxpayers say they will be owing money this year, up from 13% last year. analysts say this might be a good sign, a sign that the economy is improving. people are earning more, therefore, they owe more. the bad news is that the average tax refund was $2700 last year. huge amount that people will be saying good-bye to. of those expecting a refund, 37% say they plan to use to pay down debt or bills. others plan to save the money. 28% say they plan to intend tsp money on themselves, family, home improvements, that kind of thing. the fact that most people are saving their refunds or using to pay down debt shows there is still a recession mentality in the air and that people have learned valuable lessons since 2009.