Also, if you want to voluntarily pay more "to reduce the deficit" you can simply do so on your tax form...there is a block for it IIRC. Of course, note they say deficit and not debt, as the funds just go into the general fund, and aren't targeted at debt reduction. What the .gov should do if they wanted to implement such a patriotic donation is give you a tax exemption for the amount increased by the total yield on an X year treasury--then target the money at payoff of that treasury. Of course, that would actually do something, and allow people to ensure their funds were directed appropriately, instead of doing their "feel good" method that doesn't do jack.