High taxes fuel migrations'

Anantapur: Thanks to the high sales tax surcharge on petrol in AP, fuel stations on the state’s borders are facing difficult times. Motorists prefer to cross over to a nearby state rather than fill up at fuel pumps within state limits. The state government imposes a tax of Rs 4,000 per kilolitre of petrol, which directly impacts prices. On the AP-Karnataka border, a difference of nearly Rs 4.20 per litre has been seen in inter-state prices since 2014 February.

More than 60 fuel filling stations are on the verge of closure, sources said. Stations have already shut at Kodikonda checkpost on NH-44 and Amarapuram. One such beleaguered fuel pump can be seen at Madakasira located near the border with Karnataka. Here, a fuel filling station has turned into a shelter selling footwear and door curtains. It closed a year ago. The oil company had reportedly tried to run it with other contractors, but in vain.

The closed bunk became an unauthorised shelter for the vendors. “The crisis impacts salaries of workers. At least eight families depend on a bunk,” a dealer on the Karnataka border said.