(From left to right): Dato' Rauf Rashid, Managing Partner of EY Malaysia, Assurance Managing Partner, EY Asean, Carlos Wong Fook Chin, Dato' Sri Sabin bin Samitah, Chief Executive Officer/Director General, Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri Malaysia and Mr Amarjeet Singh, Malaysia Tax leader, EY.
Carlos Wong, holding up his certificate of achievement and trophy, and giving a big smile after winning the Champion title.
Carlos Wong Fook Chin, a TAR UC Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) student, was announced as the Champion in the EY Young Tax Professional of the Year (‘YTPY’) 2018 Malaysia held on 4 October 2018. There were two parts to the competition; the preliminary stage and the final stage. The EY Young Tax Professional of the Year programme is committed to developing young tax professionals with the right technical knowledge and at the same time, be agile enough to adapt and innovate strategically. It is a key platform to provide game-changing opportunities for top tax talent and leaders of the future.
A former student of Tsun Jin High School, Carlos spoke with much enthusiasm about his win and how TAR UC helped him to achieve it. “I have a strong desire to win the champion title because I want to prove that I have the ability to be different, to be a real talent,” he said. “The competition was challenging as there was no absolute right or wrong answers. Instead, a certain amount of research about global issues as well as creativity was necessary to think of effective ideas. Besides that, another area I focused on was the practicality of solutions as there can be a lot of solutions that are not worth implementing because the cost far outweighs the benefits,” he continued.
He went on to thank his lecturers at TAR UC for helping him to prepare for the competition. “In the preliminary stage, the Associate Dean (Professional Accountancy), Mr Chuah Chin Leong, Mr Michael Yeo Thiam Swee and Mr Chong Geok Chuang, Principal Lecturers, helped me find a suitable place so that I could record my presentation video professionally. Besides that, I had a quick lesson with Madam Ng Lay Choo, a public speaking tutor, which further enhanced my public speaking skills. Finally, just before the finals, Mr Michael Yeo helped me not only on oral presentation but also on visual aids,” said Carlos.
“The toughest challenge that I faced was the case study itself. Although I could access the internet, the issues brought up were such that there was no standard right or wrong answer. Hence, I had to think of the answers myself and explain it in a practical manner,” he enthused.
Carlos would like to advise those who wish to emulate him. “My advice to students would be to do more reading on current issues not only on Malaysia alone but other countries as well. Practise more and do not be afraid to ask for help and get opinions from your peers, seniors and lecturers,” he added.
Carlos will be representing Malaysia at the EY Young Tax Professional of the Year international final to be held from 24 – 28 November 2018 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He will compete against winners from over 30 countries for the title of “EY Young Tax Professional of the Year 2018”.
