Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri announced that luxury buses operating in Himachal Pradesh will have to pay an annual tax of Rs 9 lakh. This is intended to help increase the income of the Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), which is facing a loss of Rs 1,355 crores. The HRTC provides concessionary travel to women and children and its buses run on routes in remote areas for few passengers, where other operators do not ply.