PLANS to raise probate fees paid by bereaved families are to be ditched ahead of the election.

The Ministry of Justice said last night it would take too long to get the proposals through Parliament.

It had been hoped the reforms, branded a “stealth death tax” by critics, would raise £300million a year for running the courts and tribunal service.

The issue will be a matter for the new Government.

Obtaining a grant of probate gives the authority to deal with the property, money and possessions of someone after they die.

Currently there is a flat charge for applications for a grant of probate of £215 or £155 in relation to all estates with a value of at least £5,000.

Under the proposed changes this system would have been replaced by a sliding fee scale depending on the value of the estate.

At the lower end, estates worth more than £50,000 and up to £300,000 would have attracted fees of £300 – rising to £20,000 for those valued at more than £2 million.

The new system would also have seen the threshold below which no fee is payable increase from £5,000 to £50,000, lifting an estimated additional 25,000 estates out of the requirement to pay a probate fee per year.