A business rates overhaul proposed by Andy Burnham could cost around £880 million a year, according to analysis cited by multiple outlets. The proposals aim to support small high-street businesses by changing how business rates are applied. Forecasts from the tax firm Ryan indicate that the changes could exempt more than 140,000 additional small premises from paying business rates altogether. This would effectively expand the number of businesses that fall outside the rates system under the plan. The reports describe the policy as increasing thresholds or otherwise adjusting eligibility so that more smaller shops and local premises qualify for relief. While the outlets differ slightly in how they phrase the figures and describe the mechanism, they broadly agree on the headline estimate of the annual cost and the scale of the expanded exemption. The coverage presents the £880 million figure as an assessment derived from Ryan’s forecasting, rather than as a confirmed government costings figure.