PAYING FEDERAL TAXES WITH A CREDIT CARD

When the tax man cometh, some Americans find themselves short of cash. So the recent $152 billion tax cut bill allowed taxpayers to use credit cards to pay their federal taxes.

But the legislation made no allowance for the government to pay the standard processing fee. Without the fee, some major credit card companies have said, "No go."

Paying taxes with plastic could be a dangerous proposition for some Americans already deep in debt. But for others, it provides convenience and fast cash when tax day approaches.

If taxpayers want to use plastic, they may just have to pick up the processing fee, which could run as high as 2 percent of the "purchase" -- in this case, the tax bill.

Several federal and state government agencies already accept plastic payments and it is the cardholder -- not the government -- who pays the merchant fee. Perhaps the IRS should follow suit.