3 ways to make an impact in tax


The Tax Institute expert Rae
Ni Corraidh, CTA, shares her tips and tricks for success in tax.

Rae Ni Corraidh, CTA, is a tax
adviser at the Knowledge Shop; an external advisory resource for firms that may
not have their own tax expertise.
After working at big four companies for ten years in a
specialist role, Rae moved to mid-tier firms in order to develop a broader
range of tax skills, where she worked for another ten years. She has also been involved in teaching all of the core subjects of structured education programs at The Tax Institute over the last decade.
“Here I get to talk about tax all day long and not have to
do time sheets. That's the fun part,” she laughs.
A highly experienced tax professional and teacher of tax,
Rae has three tips for making an impact:
1. Keep abreast of
change
“You have to invest the time in your own learning and in being
aware of what's happening in tax,” says Rae.
“Whether you subscribe to tax
updates
or you log onto the Australian Treasury website on a regular basis,
just find what works for you.
“It’s also about talking to your peers about areas that they
might be interested in. For example, somebody who doesn't deal with Division 7A
often may be aware of the proposed changes to those provisions but not the specific details of the proposals.
“If you want to keep abreast of what's going on, you need to
invest the time in finding out what the proposed changes are.
“This results in a lively debate regarding tax changes,
regardless of whether you agree with them or not,” she explains.

2. Develop your
skills

Rae says the importance of lifelong learning for a tax
professional cannot be underestimated.
“The one thing I can guarantee about a career in tax is that
you will never stop learning, and that's part of why it makes such an
interesting profession to work in,” says Rae.
“It's always changing, you're always learning and as a
result you can always help others learn
as well.
“One of the big advantages of The Tax Institute’s structured
education program is that the course materials are updated several times a
year.”
If there are shifts in the way legislation is interpreted, or
there might be new legislation announced, or finalised; the course materials
are updated for the next study period. This way, candidates can be certain that
what they're learning is current and not out of date. Current and proposed
changes are always incorporated.
Whether it is formal training like structured education,
in-house training, or choosing a particular area of tax as a learning objective
to specialise in, Rae says tax professionals need to find the level or support
structure that works best. She says practitioners should never be afraid to try
something new or different.
3. Put your hand up
to specialise

Rae says that one challenge that helped her springboard to success was making sure she was willing to increase her knowledge and skills in new technical areas and share the information within an organisation or group. She says this was so she could keep moving toward becoming a subject matter expert. 


“An example is recognising an area of tax that is changing a lot, putting your hand up to take responsibility to keep on top of all the proposed changes and distributing summaries when there is a legislative change or new ATO guidance such as a draft ruling issued on the topic.
But she also advises practitioners to network with people in
that area of specialisation – it is worth investing the time to meet with them
for a cup of coffee to discuss their thoughts and share knowledge. 
“If you’re interested in a particular area, you get to know who works in that area over time,” she points
out.

“And if you don't ask, you
don't get. If you do ask you might not have a 100% success rate but it will
certainly be more than 0%.

“It’s about taking a chance,
because if you don't take a chance you won’t learn, develop and grow,” she
adds.
Find out more about the benefits  structured
education 
with The Tax Institute can deliver for your career.

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