US Gov't needs our donations

If you're irked by the U.S. debt, you can make tax-deductible contributions to pay it down. Fiscal year 2009 saw $3.1 million in donations. Only $12 trillion left to go!

You've probably heard about the country's giant debt load - $12 trillion and rising.

Did you know you can help reduce it?

Under a little-known law enacted in 1961, Uncle Sam accepts tax-deductible contributions to pay down the country's debt.





Not that the Treasury Department does much to publicize the program.

You can find it under the header "Accepting Gifts" in the U.S. Code. Or, if you're not an avid reader of dusty legal books, you can check the FAQ section on the Web site of the Bureau of Public Debt, an agency within Treasury. Or flip to page 91 of the IRS' 2009 Instruction Booklet for Form 1040.