Death tax meltdown punishes the bereaved

LOSING a loved one is the most traumatic experience many people will ever endure.

And the crushing sadness of bereavement is too often exacerbated by a mountain of bureaucracy. One laborious chore is applying for probate – the legal authority to administer an estate when somebody dies.

It is a melancholy task, but one the Government appears intent on making as painful as possible for devastated families.

In a cynical money grab earlier this year, ministers sneaked out a £185million-a-year ‘death tax’, masquerading as probate fees.

Charges will spiral from a flat fee of £215 to a maximum of £6,000 – depending on the estate’s value. Hundreds of thousands of families in Middle Britain will be punished with larger bills. Until these fees are paid, they cannot receive a penny from the will.

But bungling ministers have not confirmed a date to introduce the ‘death tax’ (which, with jaw- dropping short- sightedness, discourages the Tory ideal of prudence).

Consequently, people are rushing to attain probate ahead of a steep rise. This has sent the system into meltdown – with some applicants suffering delays of 12 weeks, compared to, typically, ten days.

Some registries have a backlog of 2,000 cases. Predictably, Whitehall’s new computers cannot cope – fuelling the chaos. Bereaved families, at their most vulnerable, deserve much, much better.

They say the only certainties in life are death and taxes. To that we might add: This Government’s spectacular incompetence.