<prompt> Human: Hi, first time, long time. Ill start with the requisite not sure this is the right sub but I couldnt find anything more relevant. So my dad has some mental health issues. He is manic depressive and was an alcoholic for most of my life. Has been broke for over a decade now living off my sister and I and social assistance. Thought he was finally in the clear when his cousin in the US left him an IRA worth around 120K US I know that sounds cold but it was a while back and I didnt know the cousin. Was his retirement plan. We planned it well so he would withdraw an amount to minimize his tax burden. I was managing all of it until he went behind my back and took control and said he didnt need me anymore...well within 6 months he had drawn the full amount paying the minimal amount of tax deducted at source from the bank and thrown it either into a bottle or a slot machine surprise! He had a gambling problem...that was new. I ended up finding him on the floor of his apartment unable to stand because he was so anemic from the booze and not eating and called an ambulance. He spent a week in the hospital and Ive been back in control of his shit ever since. When he was in the hospital I went through his place and found the papers showing he had drawn the full IRA and on top of that he took his CPP payments and gone to every payday loan place in the city to get advances so he could keep gambling. Put himself into about 15K in debt. He also hadnt paid rent in months and was about to be evicted. I had to go to the landlord and tenant board and fight for him to pay back his past due rent over several months. Thats not the bad part...Because he drew the full 120k of the IRA in one year he owes taxes on it, and in a pretty high bracket. The bill is now at 38K. We contemplated bankruptcy but he moved so the payday loan places couldnt find him he doesnt have a license or credit cards and his only bank acct now is a trust account my sister and I control and we were told, incorrectly, that the government wont garnish CPP or OAS payments regardless of any tax debts owed. I saw some articles to back it as well. We knew he was never going to need credit again so decided to skip the fees and time to go bankrupt and see what happens. His bills are in my name as is his lease and I just make sure his monthly CPP and OAS payments go to essentials first, I buy him groceries ever week and I give him an allowance. All was going great until this week when I got a letter from CPP saying they are exercising their right of statutory set off and will be taking 20 of every CPP payment to pay down his tax debt. Also says they can increase the set off amount. Theres a number to call on the notice letter but nobody calls me back. Is there anything I can do? Will bankruptcy help at this point and are back taxes ever discharged through bankruptcy or do they survive it?I know this sounds awful of me and that he owes the taxes and should pay them but he cant...and I cant. And with reduced CPP I have to now subsidize his life even more and I cant really do that either. If anyone knows what I can do to reverse this statutory set off that would be great. TL;DR my dad owes 38k in back taxes cause he sucks with money and now his pension payments are being garnished. Need help!Edit: I should have mentioned that since his last hospital visit he hasnt gambled and barely drinks. I am able to control it by controlling all his money. He just gets walking around change. No liquor store or bar within walking distance and hes too lazy to take a bus. Even his addiction wont get him on one. Ive tried to get him into AA and other meetings several times but he always goes for a bit and then quits. He thinks he doesnt need it to get better. In any case for the last while he just sits at home watching tv and being depressed and I look after everything for him. I prefer that to him being in control, messing up, and me scrambling to fix it. I have his addictions under relative control. I just need to figure out the CPP issue now so he stays self sufficient financially. Thanks for all the help and support!!!Assistant: To be blunt, OP, I doubt there is anything can do to make him stop harming himself. Even if you somehow get CRA off his back, hell do something else and end up even further behind.On the good news, most of the money is gone, and while CRA can garnish his CPP, no one else can, so dont worry about any of his other debts. They will die when he does.It sounds like the ugly truth is that due to a combination of his age, his alcoholism, and his mental illnesses, he is unable to provide for his basic needs.If you stop paying for his rent, he will be homeless.Perhaps there is a way, talking with his doctor and with the appropriate social services in your area, to explain that you will not be able to pay his rent any longer as of X date, so they can move him into a nursing home or other subsidized housing at that point?A nursing home will probably take whatever of his CPPOAP CRA isnt already taking, but he will be fed and housed and cared for, even though he will have no cash?The risk with that plan is that he will refuse to go and be homeless. But, if thats his choice, I dont really see how thats your problem, OP.I see you working really hard to keep him indoors and fed and him working really hard to feed his addictions and to worsen his mental illnesses and to become homeless. You are setting yourself on fire to keep him warm. With respect, OP, I dont think youre helping him, I think you are enabling him. Let him hit rock bottom. Human: I worry about nursing homes...Id rather subsidize him by 200 a month than go that route. Although I guess within a few years hell need help anyways...hes turning 74 this year.  <response>: From an objective perspective, he should really be in there if he cannot care for himself. Hes had 74 years to figure out his life, and youre trying to create your own. Please dont further his behavior. There are programs and people who can help him so that you can continue being his daughter son, not his life manager. 