Amaravati, March 29: Many private travel buses in Andhra Pradesh are registering in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland to evade higher state taxes, leading to an annual revenue loss of ₹82 crore for the AP government. These Northeastern states offer significantly lower tax rates, making them attractive for bus operators seeking cost savings.
Under the Centre’s ‘One India, One Permit’ policy, buses can operate nationwide by paying ₹90,000 annually. However, Andhra Pradesh’s quarterly tax per seat results in ₹6 lakh per year per bus, prompting operators to re-register in states where annual taxes are as low as ₹40,000–₹56,000. In the past three years, 1,369 buses from Andhra Pradesh have been re-registered in the Northeast, worsening the state’s revenue loss.
