Tuned in to Tax with Deloitte's Phua Kuan Hua

The start of my Deloitte journey

My journey with Deloitte began in 2015 when I joined the Business Tax team as a summer intern, during which I received a priority offer to join Deloitte as a Tax Associate. Soon after, I had the honour of representing Singapore as a student when I took part in the inaugural Deloitte Southeast (SEA) Tax Challenge in 2016 in both the Team and Individual categories. The Deloitte SEA Tax Challenge is an exciting international competition that pits the national tax champions from universities around the region against one another.

I was delighted to emerge as the SEA Individual Champion and to also win the Best Writer prize at the Challenge, even though my team did not win in the Team Category. The Challenge was an enriching and humbling experience for me, and it further reinforced my view that tax as what I wanted to pursue as a career, and that Deloitte was a great organisation to be part of.

What I do and how I make an impact at Deloitte

As a Business Tax Associate, I make an impact by keeping my clients abreast of developments that affect their businesses and help them interpret the significance. Aside from assisting businesses and individuals to comply with their Singapore tax obligations, I also assist them in identifying tax methodologies that work best in relation to business model optimisation, profit repatriation, and fund flows.

My Deloitte experience

My time at Deloitte has been absolutely amazing. We have a great people culture where all of us are on a first-name basis, even with the bosses. I find that this breaks down hierarchical barriers and helps partners, managers, and staff work more closely together. More importantly, my team members look out for one another, and we help each other grow and improve.

This growth mindset is critical for tax practitioners in an environment where tax laws are constantly evolving. In fact, if you want to pursue a career in Tax, one of the best ways to start is by tuning in to the annual Singapore Budget announcements and attending related seminars to familiarise yourselves with the key updates of the year. 

Out of work, I get to know my team through outings and team-building activities. My most memorable experience was working with my fellow associates to organise a team-building activity for my group in 2016: we planned an elaborate food and photo hunt, spending several nights and weekends to conceptualise the idea and scout out the locations. Our hard work translated to a fun-filled afternoon and we were satisfied to see our team bonding over a great deal of food, photos, and fun!

Making music at Deloitte

Recently, our newly formed Deloitte band, The Shenton Way, was set up with the support of the firm and they have performed at numerous events, including Nanyang Business School’s Careers Day Fair and at our Deloitte 50th Anniversary celebration at Universal Studios Singapore. Looking at the band perform brings back nostalgic memories of my younger days when I performed during similar occasions together with my string quartet and school orchestra.

Music has always been a huge part of my life – I have been playing the violin for over 20 years. My affinity with it began while I was walking home from primary school one day when I saw a banner advertisement for violin lessons. I was immediately intrigued and persuaded my parents to enroll me for lessons.

To those who share a similar passion, I look forward to meeting you at Deloitte (hopefully in Tax!), and making music together at future Deloitte events by setting up our very own quartet or ensemble!

In issue 10, discover how Deloitte Audit Assistant Manager Yvonne Pow makes a positive difference to society as she juggles her time between working and volunteering. Are you keen to join the jet set?  Grab some tips on how to get picked for a mobility assignment in this issue!  Find out how you can be an intern superstar as our ex-intern, Eugene Tay shares his secrets to success on his unique audit internship experience. In addition, we also look back at the key highlights of 2017 as we celebrated our Golden Jubilee with a bang!

Find out how you can make an impact with us. Download issue 10 now!