Three students from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences (FIA) at Universitas Indonesia (UI) won champion titles in the TaxTival 2023 Tax Essay Competition, a prestigious competition organized by the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Tax Center. Aqila Bagus Misbahuddin, Jessyca Wulandari, and Ray Abel Reshawna who were members of the “Kutax Team” managed to win the top position in this competition after going through the essay submission and online presentation stages.
The essay written by the Kutax Team followed the theme of the 2023 TaxTival Tax Essay Competition, namely “The Role of Carbon Tax in Driving the Transition to a Green Economy in Indonesia”. Through their essay, the Kutax Team aimed to show how society can experience direct benefits from the carbon tax that are paid, namely by reducing carbon emissions. In addition, the implementation of a carbon tax is expected to encourage changes in people’s behavior towards the use of renewable energy sources.
Ray Abel Reshawna said, “The essay we wrote focuses on the allocation of revenue from carbon taxes. In essence, our essay proposes that funds generated from a carbon tax should be used entirely for environmental spending, including environmental restoration and conservation.”
To win the championship title, the three FIA UI students have honed themselves through a long series of preparations. They started the preparations during the semester break, decided to participate on July 4th 2023, and were finally announced as winners on August 23rd 2023. Considering the very broad theme, the three of them conducted in-depth research, looking for topics related to carbon taxes in academic journals and online news sources. Their preparations included regular discussion sessions and the preparation of a comprehensive essay outline.
“The competition begins with essay submission on August 8th 2023. After passing the initial essay selection stage, participants who successfully pass are given the opportunity to continue to the final round. The final round was held via online presentation on August 18th 2023 using the Zoom Meeting platform. The winners were officially announced on August 23rd 2023,” said Jessyca Wulandari.
All three students come from the Fiscal Administration study program (prodi) and have a deep understanding of tax policy, which allows them to analyze carbon tax issues from various points of view. However, this does not mean that the Kutax Team is free from challenges when competing. “One of the main challenges the team faced was choosing an issue that was interesting and not yet widely discussed. Given the frequent discussions about carbon taxes in various competitions, finding a unique perspective turns out to be a difficult task,” said Aqila Bagus Misbahuddin.
The success of the three students in addressing relevant tax issues contributed to broader discussions regarding environmental sustainability and fiscal policy in Indonesia. This win highlights the trio’s commitment to driving positive change in society through academic insights and ideas.
In response to the win, Ray said, “We are thrilled to have won this competition, and it highlights the importance of carbon taxes in our journey towards a greener economy. This win is a testament to the power of our collaborative thinking and academic dedication.”
For information, the TaxTival 2023 Tax Essay competition is an event that accommodates students to express ideas, thoughts, and views in the field of taxation. This competition was held completely online and was attended by active students from various academic levels (D1/D3/D4/S1) throughout Indonesia.
