Burnham’s tax plan to save Britain’s high street ‘could cost £880m a year’
Former Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has proposed a tax reform plan to support small high street businesses by increasing the threshold for business rates relief. The policy, which could cost £880 million annually, would be funded by higher property taxes on large online retailers like Amazon.
Why it matters
This proposal highlights the ongoing tension between traditional brick-and-mortar retail and the dominance of e-commerce giants in the UK economy.
The policy could exempt more than 140,000 additional small high street firms from paying business rates altogether
The article presents the policy proposal and the associated financial analysis from a third-party firm without taking a stance on the efficacy of the plan.
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