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What does a career in Tax Industry look like?

Kate Flanagan
May 11, 2023

As a professional in Tax Practice, you may be curious about a career in the tax industry. You may have friends or colleagues who have made the move to industry, or you may have worked with tax industry teams as an advisor – but what does a typical day-to-day look like?

A rule of thumb: no two roles are the same. Your day-to-day in the tax industry will be dictated by a lot of different factors, so it’s important to look at the bigger picture when considering a role in industry!

Here are a few things to consider if you are exploring your career potential in the tax industry:

Type of Company

Different industries will have different tax considerations. As an advisor in Tax Practice, you will likely have exposure to a variety of industries. Working in the tax industry, your advisory exposure will be tailored to the industry you’re in, i.e. aircraft leasing, pharmaceuticals, technology, etc.

Stage of Business Life Cycle

Is this a start-up business? Is it a highly acquisitive business? Or is this a well-established business? Whatever stage the business is at, it will have a strong knock-on effect on the type of tax matters you may be exposed to – nearly every business decision has a tax effect.

Size of Tax Team

Tax teams vary in size from company to company. Some teams are quite small with 1-3 professionals; others may be well established with up to 20 professionals. The bigger the tax team, the more specialised your role is likely to be.

How Much Work Is Outsourced

The reliance on advisors will give you a strong indication of what your day-to-day may look like. If the corporate tax returns are prepared in-house, it’s likely your role may be compliance-driven. If the advisors prepare the corporate tax returns, this means there may be more scope for you to get involved in advisory projects.

If you’re ever curious about your career potential…

Feel free to reach out, and we are more than happy to arrange a confidential chat. Drop me, or one of the team, a note and I’ll take it from there….

Aideen Murphy ACA, CTA | Partner & Talent Advisor in Tax & Practice | Munster – aideen.murphy@barden.ie

Kate Flanagan CTA | Partner & Talent Advisor in Tax, Treasury & Practice | Leinster – kate.flanagan@barden.ie