An Unreal Plan to Fix the Deficit and Help Taxpayers

The best April Fool's jokes feel real. That's why we put so much time and effort into ours. And yet, good as it was, CardHub.com may have done us one better with an email profiling a low-fee credit card from no less than the Internal Revenue Service.

"With Tax Day fast approaching and a large segment of U.S. consumers continuing to struggle as the economic recovery trudges on, the IRS has launched a new credit card that cash-strapped taxpayers can use to satisfy Uncle Sam. It offers 0% for 36 months, doesn't charge a balance transfer fee, and can only be used to pay the IRS," the pitch read.

And it was genius, says Tim Beyers of Motley Fool Rule Breakers and Motley Fool Supernova. Each day, the headlines scream of how politicians are fighting over ways to fix the deficit. Meanwhile, CardHub.com says consumers packed on an additional $36.2 billion in new debt last year.

Rising balances have proven to be a boon for the likes of American Express , Citigroup , and JPMorgan Chase , all of which have seen revenue and profit from credit card use rise noticeably over the past two years. (Though Chase suffered a modest decline in 2012 after sharp increases the year prior.)

Knowing the data and the context made the joke seem frighteningly real, Tim says in the following interview with The Motley Fool's Erin Miller. Please watch this short video to get his full take, and then leave a comment to let us know if you're struggling with debt right now, and if so, how you're handling the burden.

With big finance firms still trading at deep discounts to their historic norms, investors everywhere are wondering if this is the new normal, or whether finance stocks are a screaming buy today. The answer depends on the company, so to help figure out whether JPMorgan is a buy today, I invite you to read our premium research report on the company today. Click here now for instant access!

The article An Unreal Plan to Fix the Deficit and Help Taxpayers originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Tim Beyers is a member of the Motley Fool Rule Breakers stock-picking team and the Motley Fool Supernova Odyssey I mission. Neither he nor Erin Miller owned shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article at the time of publication. Check out Tim's web home and portfolio holdings or connect with him on Google+, Tumblr, or Twitter, where he goes by @milehighfool. You can also get his insights delivered directly to your RSS reader.The Motley Fool owns shares of Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of American Express. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.

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