‘Death tax by stealth’: Victorian government hikes probate fees by up to 650%

The Victorian government has announced probate fees will move from a fixed rate to a tiered system, in what has been described by the opposition as a ‘death tax by stealth’. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Bereaved Victorian families will be hit with massive increases to probate fees, with the state government announcing hikes of up to 650% to process wills.

The acting attorney general, Enver Erdogan, on Monday announced that the supreme court’s probate fees would move from a fixed rate to a tiered system, in what has been described as a “death tax by stealth” by the opposition.