The author provides a general overview of tax obligations within a personal bankruptcy. He also examines situations where tax debt forms a significant part of the bankrupt’s debt and looks at how courts have treated bankrupts’ applications for discharge. More specifically, the author discusses the impact of s 172.1 of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, including the factors that the bankruptcy courts consider when dealing with a discharge application under this section.

Added bonus: Bankruptcy 101 Glossary of terms by Craig McMahon, Field LLP, providing an alphabetical list of typical bankruptcy-related terms and a concise explanation of each.

This paper was presented at the Bankruptcy Seminar in January, 2014.