Should personal debt be deducted from the common pool of Zakat on wealth?

Each partner must pay zakat on his share of the wealth if it reaches the nisab. Scholars have differed regarding deducting debt from the wealth on which zakat is due. The fatwa (religious edict) states that whoever has surplus assets beyond his needs can use them to offset the debt; in this case, he pays zakat on all the wealth he possesses. As for one who does not have surplus assets sufficient to cover the debt, he may deduct the debt from the wealth on which zakat is due. However, it is more cautious not to deduct the debt and to pay zakat on all the wealth.