Goldman Sachs Group Inc hopes to pay back the $10 billion it took from the U.S. government's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program within a month, The New York Times said on Tuesday, citing people involved in the process.

The urgency to repay the money follows last week's uproar over bonuses paid to executives at the insurer American International Group Inc , and revelations that Goldman was the largest recipient of government money stemming from its role as an AIG counterparty, the newspaper said.

Goldman Sachs spokesman Ed Canaday declined to comment.

A growing number of TARP recipients have said they plan to repay their money or do so as fast as possible.

Some have complained that investors perceive TARP recipients as not being strong enough to operate on their own.

Others have complained about the government's unilateral ability to impose new restrictions on TARP recipients, including limitations on bonuses that could prompt thousands of employees to leave.

Repaying TARP money would also spare recipients of making dividend payouts to taxpayers. For Goldman and most other recipients, the annual payout is 5 percent.

Richard Kovacevich, the chairman of Wells Fargo & Co , on March 13 complained about the strings attached to TARP. He also said that had the government not forced Wells Fargo to take $25 billion, the bank would have been able to raise private capital and perhaps avoid a later dividend cut.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Derek Caney)

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