The Taxes and Excise Department, Himachal Pradesh, today reduced the entry tax on truckers across three categories in the range of Rs 30 to Rs 250 while exempting all light vehicles — whether commercial or private — registered in the state from this levy.As per a notification issued today by the Commissioner, State Taxes and Excise, a 12-seater passenger vehicle will now be required to pay Rs 100 against Rs 130 fixed earlier. Trucks with up to two axles and a gross vehicle weight (GVW) between 12,000 kg and 25,000 kg have been given a sizable relaxation as their levy has been reduced from Rs 570 to Rs 320 while for three-axle vehicles, the levy now stands at Rs 570, down from Rs 600.The reduced levy has come as a sizable relief for tempo, three-wheeler and pick-up owners as they had been brought under the purview of this entry tax. They had served a 24-hour ultimatum yesterday to notify the revised rates or face an impasse like last evening when no vehicle was permitted to leave or enter the Baddi-Barotiwala industrial cluster for hours.In a bid to quell discontent, the government has already announced relief for residents of neighbouring states residing within a 5 km radius by extending concessional passes, besides reducing their tax from Rs 130 to Rs 100.The toll licensees have also been intimated about the revised levy to avoid confusion.This is a key step to ensure seamless implementation of the revised rates as allegations of overcharging were levelled yesterday. Despite relaxing the levy for private vehicles of other states from Rs 130 to Rs 100 on March 31, the toll staff allegedly charged a higher rate at various entry points like Baddi and Parwanoo.While a partial revision in the entry tax rates has been effected by the department, it remains to be seen whether officials are able to ensure smooth flow of traffic at various inter-state barriers in Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh as well as Parwanoo in Solan district.