Last month we highlighted a proposed change to Probate Registry Fees from a flat rate of £155 or £215 to a fee structure which is scaled based on the value of the Estate – capped at £20,000 for Estates over £2M.
Our article described the new fee structure as another form of taxation and we were certainly not alone in our view. Earlier this month, a committee of MPs and peers questioned the legality of the changes, commenting that they “appear… to have the hallmarks of taxes rather than fees”.
These controversial plans to raise Probate Fees have however now been scrapped (temporarily at least) due to the announcement of the snap general election. The Ministry of Justice has stated that there is not enough time for the legislation to go through parliament.
It will therefore be up to the next government to decide whether or not to go ahead with the new plans, however following wide scale criticism of the proposal, there is no guarantee this will happen, even if the Conservative Party are re-elected.
