The Ministry of Justice has decided not to introduce a new probate fee regime which could have cost the charity sector up to £10m.
Currently there is a flat £155 fee for probate, the process by which a will is accepted as a valid public document, allowing the administration of the estate. But a sliding scale was being considered so estates with a higher value would pay more.
Bodies including the Institute of Fundraising, Remember A Charity, NCVO and the Institute of Legacy Management had expressed concern that the changes could cost charities up to £10m in lost income from donations made to them in wills. And now secretary of state for justice Robert Buckland has announced the proposals have been withdrawn while a wider fee review takes place.
Read more in Civil Society News.