Extended Director's Report

A year of change and gratitude

The Waterloo Centre for Taxation in a Global Economy has had an exciting year, including some changes that occurred. On that note, first a big thank you to our former director Ken Klassen. Ken has been a tremendous leader and servant of the Tax Centre and its stakeholders for many years. While the time had come for Ken to pass on the director reins, we’re fortunate to have his ongoing contributions to our activities as a continuing member of the Tax Centre. 

One place to see Ken’s ongoing efforts is our biennial international tax symposium, which we host in Waterloo this coming August alongside our academic partner the University of Texas at Austin and our wonderful sponsor and friends at the Canadian Tax Foundation (CTF). 

Expanding engagement with practice

Another change that came about this year was our pilot of the biennial Tax Practitioner Workshop. As with our new panel held at the CTF national meeting, the Tax Practitioner Workshop reflects the different ways we are looking to engage with practice about tax research and education and the implications they have for one another. Feedback from our pilot supports that this new event is meeting that objective! 

Thank you to our stakeholder partners at EY for hosting the workshop locally in Waterloo. We’re looking forward to getting out on the road – and potentially outside Ontario – to offer the next workshop in two years time.  

Student excellence and the YTP program

Excitement also came from the amazing performance of our Young Tax Professional (YTP) students at the Tax Executives Institute’s International Tax Student Case Competition. We placed second – in the world! – and the team (led by our own David Lin) made us proud! 

More broadly, we continue to appreciate the many contributions and connections of our YTP group, both existing members and alumni. We are more than fortunate to have such enthusiasm for the YTP group among our students and the strength that our alumni provide to the Tax Centre’s reputation in the tax community.  

Looking ahead

Finally, I offer a look forward to future excitement as my first year as director – and twelfth year of the Tax Centre – reaches its end. Changes are afoot at the provincial and national CPA level, which have major implications for education in Canada, Ontario, and at the School of Accounting and Finance.

Our Tax Centre members are in the thick of innovative planning with our colleagues at SAF to lead tax education into this uncertain future, so stay tuned for messaging about our new programs, including tax specialization courses and credentials. 

We at the Tax Centre also look forward to sharing our new plans to engage the broader community in financial literacy – of which tax is a core piece (obviously!) – and welcoming our stakeholders to join us in this journey. With our ongoing tax research and teaching activities, tax educator conference (annually) and check-ins (quarterly), YTP events, and all the new opportunities I’ve shared, there’s never a dull moment for the Tax Centre.

And so, we look forward to, and thank you for your continued engagement with us as we enjoy these moments.