Kay Kimkana, Malaysia

LLM in Tax Law 2009

"Prior to joining the LLM Tax Law programme at Queen Mary, I was employed as a Senior Research Associate at the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation (IBFD) where I was also the co-editor of the Asia Pacific Tax Bulletin - a bi-monthly journal published by the IBFD which covers fiscal and investment related developments in 48 jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region. Before that, I was an Assistant Manager at Deloitte Malaysia’s transfer pricing practice. Having been in the field of taxation for a number of years, pursuing the LLM felt like a natural progression which would enable me to expand my horizons as a tax professional and position me to contribute to the evolving role of taxation in the new global economy.

I chose Queen Mary after much research on universities and colleges offering similar courses. Confirming my eventual decision, numerous tax professionals told me that the International Tax Law and European Community Tax Law modules at the College were amongst the best in Europe. A year on, I can personally testify to this. Teachers such as Jonathan Schwarz and Dr Tom O’Shea taught the subjects from both practical and theoretical point of views– and frequently challenged us to approach the subject with a lot more depth with the questions that they posed in class. More importantly, they also went above and beyond the call of duty and were always ready to answer any questions or render assistance when needed. In addition, the visiting and guest lecturers presented an interesting dimension to the classes, as they were all renowned experts in their respective fields. The location of the School of Law at Lincoln’s Inn Fields – right at the legal heart of London – was also an added bonus.

Classes were small and diverse, which promoted many interesting discussions especially in EC Tax Law where we frequently discussed, and sometimes even debated, our opinions on the ECJ judgments. To top it off, we also organized a Students Conference on EC Tax Law which was attended by professionals, revenue authorities and students – and I got to present a paper which turned out to not only be a great experience, but a fun day as well. I have not studied so hard and done this much reading in any one year, but this has been such a rewarding experience and I have learnt so much!

Now that I have almost completed my LLM, I intend to return to a career in taxation which has been extremely satisfying thus far.  I have no doubt that the LLM from Queen Mary has sharpened and enhanced my skills as a tax professional."