Update 13 Nov: Please see the Statutory Instrument timeframe below. Original blog: The UK government has re-introduced proposals to fund the courts service via charging higher probate fees. The proposals emerged late yesterday (5 Nov 18), a week after the budget. While the headline charges are less extortionate than were proposed last year, for an estate… Read More The death tax returns
Entries are open for the 2018/19 STEP Private Client Awards until 31 May 2018. The Awards are widely acknowledged as being one of the premier events in the private client industry calendar. Winning an Award is also a very clear and recognised hallmark of excellence. How then, do you go about winning an Award? Enter… Read More How to win a STEP Private Client Award
A sell-out audience of over 370 delegates has been attending the 2017 STEP LatAm Conference in Cartagena, Colombia this week. The fact that they managed to get here in spite of a local transport strike made me feel, as a Brit, rather at home, but it also shows what a strong following the annual STEP… Read More STEP LatAm Conference 2017 in Colombia
STEP was one of the bodies most actively engaged in the furore that developed around the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) proposal to raise probate fees for some estates from £155/215 to as much as £20,000. One of the things that enraged many STEP members was not just the scale of the increase, but the fact… Read More MoJ in special measures on charges?
I had the pleasure of attending STEP Jersey’s AGM and 25th anniversary celebration this week. STEP Jersey is one of our largest branches, with over 1200 members, and is also one of our most active. Not only does it host many well-attended events, but it works closely with government, regulators and others to ensure the… Read More Happy 25th birthday STEP Jersey!
The government’s threat to radically increase probate fees next month (Probate fee rise ‘a new tax on bereaved families’) may be receding, following a meeting of the House of Commons Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments on 29 March. Using some very welcome common sense, the committee raises the issue (para 1.12) that it is a… Read More Probate fees – will common sense prevail?
UPDATE 21/04/2017: the Ministry of Justice has abandoned the new fee regime due to lack of parliamentary time prior to the 2017 General Election. See more information. What is probate? When someone dies, you need to get the legal right to deal with their property, money and possessions, and to do so you need a grant… Read More New probate fees: a guide for the public
The European Data Protection Supervisor’s Opinion on proposed amends to the Fourth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive (4AMLD) shines a welcome spotlight on data protection implications and the ‘significant and unnecessary risks to an individual’s right to privacy’. The Opinion, published on 2 February 2017, raises questions as to whether or not the proposed collection of… Read More European Data Protection Supervisor voices privacy concerns over 4AMLD
The past few months have seen some big changes at STEP. While we have announced them all separately, I thought it might be helpful to provide a summary of what’s what. First, it is a great honour and privilege to be writing this as the new worldwide Chair of STEP. I was elected in October… Read More New Year, new line-up
STEP has published Offshore Perceptions, a major new piece of research looking at the current state of the offshore world. It paints a picture of a sector adapting rapidly to a new regulatory and institutional environment. It also confirms that measures designed to tackle abuse by a few, are actually having a major impact on… Read More What next for offshore?
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