Death intestate 'can have disastrous' tax and family consequences

The benefits of writing a will have been promoted, with one expert stating that death intestate can have disastrous consequences.

Sue Medder, a legal partner talking to the Guardian, said that without the legal document a person's estate will not always be handed down to loved ones as they would have hoped it would be.

"The problem is undoubtedly much greater where you have second marriages and/or a more complex estate involving assets in a number of different jurisdictions," she went on to advise.

It was also reported that in most countries an inheritance tax is charged on an estate when its owner passes away, with this rate set at 40 per cent in the UK for properties valued at over £325,000.

The Guardian went on to explain that to those who have moved abroad if they are deemed to be domicile in the UK then they could pay this country's rate of inheritance tax on all their assets across the globe.

Recently, the Leicestershire Constabulary warned people to be on alert after a number of suspected advanced fee fraud scams were carried out in the local area.

Published by Rob Stanworth