NT ReporterPanajiOfficials of the Commercial Tax Department on Tuesday visited around 117 shops across the state to check if the goods and services tax (GST) rate reductions are being passed on to customers. The officials visited all types of shops such as grocery stores, pharmacies, cement retailers, etc in the eight GST ‘wards’. On September 22, the state GST commissioner SS Gill had directed members of trade and industry to implement the GST reforms and ensure that the benefit of lower taxes reached consumers. A circular issued by the Commercial Tax Department warned of prompt action against businesses that did not comply with the new tax schedule under the GST Act. “Difficulty if any in the implementation of the GST reforms must be brought to the notice of the department,” it stated.