TAR UMT made history during the 2025 YYC Tax Challenge (Country Level) on 2 August 2025 by sweeping all three top positions. Leading the achievement was Sak Nuan Yan from the Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) programme, who emerged as Champion, followed by TARCians from Penang Branch, namely, Steven Lim Chaw Wei as First Runner-Up, and Chong Kai Zhen from the Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Accounting and Finance programme, as Second Runner-Up.

The YYC Tax Challenge is a prestigious university-level competition designed to test students’ knowledge of taxation, business awareness, and critical thinking, with TAR UMT students making up 6 of the 10 finalists this year.

Nuan Yan (fourth from right), Steven (fifth from right), and Kai Zhen (third from right) proudly holding their mock cheque in celebration of their achievement.

For Nuan Yan, hearing her name announced as Champion was a moment she will never forget. “I wasn’t fully confident about winning, but my lecturers always believed in me. When I heard my name, it felt surreal, and I was so grateful for all the support I had received,” she shared.

To secure the Champion title, she prepared by revisiting fundamentals, keeping up with the latest tax law updates, and applying concepts to practical cases. “I made it a point to learn from every discussion and practice session. Even the smallest improvement could make a difference,” she added.

Steven, on the other hand, shared that preparing for the competition was no easy feat. “It had been more than a year since I last studied taxation, so I had to quickly refresh my knowledge and stay on top of the latest updates. Balancing this within a short preparation period made time management my biggest challenge,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kai Zhen credited the strong support system at TAR UMT for his success. “My tutors didn’t just guide me on technical knowledge but they also trained me in presentation skills and gave me the encouragement I needed to push through,” he shared.