Sure, it was state aid to business, but it wasn&#x27;t free money - the treasury received assets and equity in return for the purchase, which it turned a profit on. If you&#x27;re going to put the cost of TARP up as a case for tax-and-redistribution schemes, you can&#x27;t neglect to account for the returns.<p>There was no currency printed for TARP (the Treasury can&#x27;t print money; that&#x27;s the Federal Reserve&#x27;s domain) - it was financed via the sale of T-notes&#x2F;bills&#x2F;bonds. The government issued debt to raise the TARP money, and the rate of return on the assets purchased with that debt has exceeded the yield on Treasury securities, resulting in a net real profit.<p><a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bloomberg.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;articles&#x2F;2010-10-20&#x2F;bailout-of-wall-street-returns-8-2-profit-to-taxpayers-beating-treasuries" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.bloomberg.com&#x2F;news&#x2F;articles&#x2F;2010-10-20&#x2F;bailout-of...</a>