Challenging but highly insightful tax learning
Published: 28 May 2025
Challenging but highly insightful tax learning
Tio Clara, Tax Accountant, Mulpha Australia, Sydney
The Dux of Study Period 2, 2024 shows us how lifelong learning is fuelled by drive, determination and time management.
With a relatively short three years of experience in tax and finance under her belt, Tio Clara is wasting no time when it comes to leveling up her tax skills. Currently a Tax Accountant with Mulpha Australia Limited, an investment company with a diverse investment portfolio including hotels, hospitality and leisure, real estate, property development, retail, and funds management, Clara spends her days assisting with tax compliance and advisory for the Group, including BAS, IAS, FBT, and income tax returns.
She’s also pursuing a Graduate Diploma in Applied Tax Law with The Tax Institute Higher Education and recently achieved Dux of her Corporate Tax elective subject. We caught up with Clara to hear about her experience.
The start of something wonderful
When Clara graduated from university with a Bachelor of Business in Accounting, she wasn’t quite sure what area of finance she’d wind up in. But it wasn’t long before she caught the tax bug.
“My early interaction with tax began when I joined the tax team at Mulpha as an Assistant Tax Accountant. I was quickly drawn to tax due to its complexities and challenges,” she tells us.
“Tax is the ideal balance for the interaction of numeracy, technical, and commercial competency, which are the aspects that would challenge me mentally while providing me with the necessary skills to advance my professional career.”
Along with those complexities and challenges, a career in tax almost guarantees life-long learning. There’s always new knowledge and skills to pick up on in the tax profession, something Clara calls the “most rewarding aspect of my role.”
“Working for a diversified investment company means each transaction is different, and the satisfaction you get from solving a complex tax matter provides a sense of accomplishment. Also, with the ever-emerging world of tax, I have countless learning opportunities to challenge myself continuously. Additionally, I am fortunate to work within a supportive team that is genuinely invested in my professional growth and development,” she says.
And that investment in her development and passion for lifelong learning led Clara to The Tax Institute and the Graduate Diploma in Applied Tax Law.
“The course materials and case studies are consistently updated to reflect the latest tax changes and are directly applicable to real life tax practices. Compared to my previous study experiences, The Tax Institute provides a more practical approach, equipping me with tax knowledge that relates to my day-to-day work,” she says.
Sharpening corporate tax advisory skills
As a corporate tax accountant, choosing the Corporate Tax subject as an elective in her Graduate Diploma of Applied Tax Law was an obvious choice for Clara. She says the subject has “significantly deepened” her technical knowledge and ability to provide comprehensive advisory services.
“The modules in Corporate Tax subject, particularly those on consolidations and international tax, are integral to my day-to-day work,” she tells us.
“The knowledge gained from the subject has been extremely useful as when consolidating company into a tax consolidated group or identifying debt interest and its deduction limitations under the thin capitalisation rules.”
And it’s not just technical knowledge Clara gained from the Corporate Tax subject. She has also developed her research skills, problem-solving abilities, critical thinking and ability to apply tax legislations to specific tax issues significantly – key skills as she grows in her career as a tax professional.
“This subject stands out from any subjects that I have studied before. The Letter of Advice assessment, for instance, has significantly enhanced my advisory and tax research skills. The other interesting part of this subject for me was exploring the international tax module and deep-dive into the intricate planning required for cross-border transactions,” she says.
“I found the application of corporate tax principles to real-life scenarios to be particularly challenging but highly insightful.”
Studying with The Tax Institute
In the busy world of a tax professional, undergoing further study can seem like a daunting task that simply won’t fit into the day. That’s part of the reason why Clara says that the best part of studying with The Tax Institute Higher Education is the flexibility to study at her own pace through the online learning platform.
“I would normally plan ahead of the subject’s start date and set specific study goals each week on what I want to achieve, whether it is completing module readings, quizzes, or progressing with the Letter of Advice assessment,” she says.
And while Clara acknowledges that sacrificing some personal time and weekends during the study period may be inevitable, she made the effort to also spend time with my family and friends whose support played a key role in motivating her to pursue further study.
“Balancing between study, work and other commitment can be quite challenging especially during the peak tax seasons, but it could be manageable with effective time management and goal setting.”
What’s next for this top tax super star?
After achieving Dux in her Corporate Tax subject this year, Clara’s career and her focus on learning isn’t slowing down one bit. After she completes her Graduate Diploma in Applied Tax Law, she’s set her sights on the CTA3 Advisory subject – the last hurdle for her to earn the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) designation.
“I would recommend other tax professionals to invest in continuous learning with The Tax Institute as it would not only enhance the technical knowledge but also practical skills for dealing with complex tax matters in real-life situations,” she says.
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