(Left to right): Daniel Lewis (EY YTPY 2018 2nd runner-up) from South Africa; Susan Pitter, EY Young Tax Professional of the Year sponsor and EY Deputy Global Vice Chair – Tax, Samantha Schwarz (EY YTPY 2018 winner) from Australia; and Carlos Wong Fook Chin (EY YTPY 2018 1st runner-up) from Malaysia.
Carlos Wong (centre) receiving his award from Susan Pitter (rightmost).
Carlos Wong Fook Chin, a TAR UC Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) student, came up top in the Ernst & Young Young Tax Professional of the Year (‘EY YTPY’) 2018 Malaysia. Subsequently, he represented Malaysia and made the country proud as he successfully clinched the first runner-up prize in the EY YTPY international level held in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on 24 – 28 November 2018.
His performance at the global finals was remarkable, as he not only stood against national champions from 21 countries from all over the world, but they were also ‘head and shoulders’ above him as they had done different Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and had an average age of 25 with working experience. He beat the odds by being one of the youngest contestants to win the second prize by focusing on doing the best he could, fully utilising his strengths in the competition. With his first runner-up prize win, Carlos will soon set off on a 10-day visit to one of EY’s Area Tax Centers, where he will have the opportunity to network with some of the world’s leading tax professionals.
He described how the international level of the competition differed from the national level. “For national EY YTPY, one substantial part being tested was on the understanding of the Malaysian tax system. But, at the international level, instead of testing on a specific country’s tax, it examined the contestants on the understanding of global tax issues that are affecting global operations,” he said.
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. “All I did was to give my very best and leave the rest to the jury. I personally think that the opportunity to gather with finalists from different parts of the world is precious enough. Therefore, this first runner-up win is a bonus for me.” He praised his lecturer cum mentor, Mr Michael Yeo Thiam Swee, for helping him consistently. “Mr Yeo kept supplying me with technical knowledge to make sure the information I have is up-to-date. Besides that, we also had presentation practices and feedback sessions,” he said.
