Victorian estates worth more than $5 million are expected to be charged more than $15,000 for probate under a plan for fees to increase by up to 650 per cent for an application that often takes around 30 minutes to process.

Estate specialists describe it as a “stealth death tax” imposed by the debt-stricken Victorian state government attempting to raise additional revenue by increasing fees for administrative services. The state government flagged the increase in June and has invited feedback.