The sweeping cuts are part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's major overhaul of India's complex goods and services tax (GST) regime announced earlier this month. Lower GST rates coincide with the beginning of a long festive season when Indians typically open their purse strings to buy everything from new cars to clothes. This four-month period also brings in a bulk of yearly sales for consumer goods companies such as packaged food makers and apparel manufacturers. "The best time to buy is when festival discounts and tax cuts overlap. Vishnu Vardhan Information about the tax changes has still not trickled down to small shopkeepers