£170 TAX ON THE BEREAVED
A new scheme would see the bereaved spending £170 to bury loved ones
Monday October 10,2011
By Sarah Westcott
GRIEVING families face a new “death tax” before they can put their loved ones to rest, it emerged yesterday.
A new scheme would see the bereaved spending £170 to bury their nearest and dearest in a move that would cost Britons more than £83million a year.
The rules could be applied to around 490,000 deaths every year, affecting more than 1,000 families a day.
The Government proposals for debate in the Commons this week would hit families with a minimum charge to check the cause of death when a relative passes away.
The plan, to improve the quality and accuracy of death statistics and medical certificates of all non-coroner referred deaths, would see relatives having to pay out the sum before they can bury their loved ones.
Some 1,000 “medical examiners” would be appointed on a salary of up to £81,500 a year, to ensure that doctors fill in forms properly with the correct cause of death.
