The Government has announced that it has now withdrawn the plans to increase probate registry fees substantially.
Law Society president Simon Davis said:
A hike in probate fees would have been a tax on grief
We campaigned vigorously against the increase on behalf of bereaved families and are relieved the government has listened to reason.
It is inherently unfair to expect the bereaved to fund other parts of the courts and tribunal service when they have no other option but to apply for probate.
In its review of court fees government should bear in mind that it is a false economy to impose charges that go beyond cost recovery. Equal access to justice is a fundamental part of the rule of law.
The proposed probate fees would have cost families in Oxfordshire £2,500 in probate fees on an average estate with a modest house and some savings. Ferguson Bricknell are delighted that this punitive charge has abandoned.