Three students from the Department of Fiscal Administration, Faculty of Administrative Sciences, Universitas Indonesia (FIA UI), have secured first place in the National Tax Olympiad at Tax Compar 2023. The competition was organized by the KSMP Tax Center of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Jember, on September 30, 2023. The winning team consisted of Michael Parulian Marbun, Sahira Nafisa Putri, and Jessyca Wulandari, all 2021 Fiscal Administration students.

The trio claimed the top position after defeating other teams through three challenging rounds. In the preliminary round, they successfully completed a multiple-choice test, drawing on their preparation and practice leading up to the event.

“Since it was an Olympiad system, we didn’t know the exact format or type of questions beforehand. We also had to race against time in real-time, which made us a bit nervous. Fortunately, we managed to advance to the semifinals,” said Michael.

According to Sahira, the semifinal round presented even greater challenges. In addition to multiple-choice questions, they were also required to answer essay questions focusing on national taxation topics.

“The first round involved multiple-choice questions covering Income Tax (PPh), Value-Added Tax (PPN & PPnBM), Land and Building Tax (PBB), Stamp Duty, and Tax Accounting. In the second round, the questions were similar but with increased complexity, including both multiple-choice and essay questions. In the final round, we tackled a case study focusing on current issues like carbon tax, administrative reforms in the Directorate General of Taxes (DJP), and other advanced topics,” Sahira explained.

Jessyca revealed that their winning strategy involved dividing the study material among the team members. Each member focused on different areas of expertise, allowing them to provide comprehensive answers during the essay and case study segments.

“The biggest challenge was maintaining our mental focus. Since it was an Olympiad, we had no idea what types of questions would be presented or how the judges would evaluate us. Competing in real-time also added pressure, making the experience nerve-wracking,” Jessyca admitted.

For context, the National Tax Olympiad (NATO) is an event organized by the KSMP Tax Center, FISIP, Universitas Jember, under the theme “Economic Dynamics through Tax Digitization in Maintaining Sustainable Economic Stability.” NATO is part of the Tax Compar 2023 series, held as a taxation-focused Olympiad, attracting students from various universities across Indonesia.

“Failure happens for two reasons: people who think but do not act and people who act but do not think. Winning is a bonus, but the process of pursuing victory has taught us valuable lessons,” Michael concluded.