By UOW Malaysia 

The University of Wollongong Malaysia is celebrating the remarkable achievements of three students from the School of Business—Chan Jia Wei, Siti Sarah A’aliyah NorAzman, and Tiun Hiew Gigg—who were named Top 19 Finalists in the Ernst & Young Malaysia Young Tax Professional of the Year 2024 (EY YTPY’24) competition. Held on 21-22 August 2024 at M Resort, Kuala Lumpur, this highly competitive event drew participants from top universities across Malaysia.

The two-day competition was a platform for students to demonstrate their knowledge, critical thinking, and presentation skills in the field of taxation. Kicking off with a warm welcome from Mr Hisham Halim, the Transfer Pricing Partner at EY and Programme Partner for EY YTPY Malaysia, the event set the stage for an engaging and challenging experience.

On the first day, the finalists were divided into teams of 3 or 4 and tackled a complex case study that examined various taxation models, notably the OECD Base Erosion Profit Sharing (BEPS) model. In a closed-meeting simulation, these teams presented their analyses to a panel of judges, who acted as prospective clients, adding a real-world dimension to the exercise.

The second day focused on individual presentations, where each finalist shared their insights on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) may transform the future of taxation both in Malaysia and globally. This segment challenged participants to demonstrate their technical expertise in taxation while forecasting industry trends.

In addition to the competitive components, a valuable sharing session was held with managers from different departments of the Tax Service Line, providing insights into career pathways and addressing participants’ questions about the tax profession.

The event culminated in an awards ceremony on the evening of 21 August 2024. Chan, Siti, and Tiun received certificates of achievement from Puan Farah Rosley, EY Malaysia’s Managing Partner, recognising their exceptional performance and commitment.