Final answer:
The correct average federal income tax refund amount for individuals filing before March cannot be determined from the information provided. Additional data from IRS statistics or reports is required to answer this question accurately.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is asking for the average federal income tax refund amount received by individuals who filed their tax returns before March in a non-specified year. By reviewing the information provided and focusing on the relevant tax data, it appears the question itself does not contain sufficient data to identify the correct answer among the choices provided (a. $500 b. $1,000 c. $1,500 d. $2,000). To obtain an accurate figure for the specific year, one would need to consult the latest IRS statistics or reports which detail average tax refund amounts.
It is important to consider the context within which the IRS operates; it manages a progressive tax system where the typical pattern reveals that individuals with higher incomes tend to pay a higher average share of their income in federal income taxes. Programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) help to reduce the tax burden for lower-income families, sometimes resulting in negative effective income taxes.