The Nation - News from March 1, 1988

The federal government is expanding a program to allow more government services and non-tax debts to be paid for with credit cards, officials said. The government is expected to process 130 million credit card transactions annually by next year, or $6.5 billion worth, said Joseph Wright, deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget. “It will make us the largest credit card user in the world,” Wright said. The government now accepts credit cards for some items, including Government Printing Office publications. Wright and Budget Director James C. Miller III told a news conference the program would be expanded to include items such as passports and some fines.