59. Estate duty to be paid when the whole estate exceeds two thousand pounds.

When the principal value of the estate in respect of which estate duty is payable of any person entitled to make a nomination under this Act exceeds two thousand pounds, any sum paid under this Act without probate or letters of administration shall, notwithstanding such nomination or payment, be liable to estate duty as part of the amount on which that duty is charged, and the trustees of the society or branch may before making any such payment require a statutory declaration by the claimant, or by one of the claimants, that the principal value of that estate, including the sum in question, does not after deduction of debts and funeral expenses exceed the value of two thousand pounds.