header-logo header-logo

A cause for concern

24 April 2017 / Elis Gomer
Categories: Features , Wills & Probate
printer mail-detail

The government's controversial plans to hike up probate fees bore the hallmark of a tax, says Elis Gomer

A cursory glance through the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ’s) press releases on the now defunct hike in probate fees demonstrates that the government was presenting the changes as ‘fair’ and ‘progressive’.

In particular, there was emphasis on the point that over half of estates would not pay any fee at all (58% of estates are worth below £50,000, the suggested lower limit) and on the fact that the new fees would increase with the value of the estate rather than being a flat fee.

The reality is that the proposals were anything but progressive. Dig deeper into the ministerial commentary and you will find the revelation that the main driver for these changes is that the MoJ has identified a ‘need’ for a new source of funding for the courts. Heaven forfend that we should view a functioning court system as a cornerstone of society and something worth funding in its own right. No, the ministerial rhetoric is that

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DWF—19 appointments

DWF—19 appointments

Belfast team bolstered by three senior hires and 16 further appointments

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Cadwalader—Andro Atlaga

Firm strengthens leveraged finance team with London partner hire

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Knights—Ella Dodgson & Rebecca Laffan

Double hire marks launch of family team in Leeds

NEWS
The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement
Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ
In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match
Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ
Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes
back-to-top-scroll