With more than 20 years of experience in tax, Anna Chong has built a highly respected career in indirect tax. From her beginnings as a migrant student to leading national teams across multiple tax areas, Anna shares her journey, insights and advice for the next generation.
Can you tell us about yourself and your career journey?
Okay, where should I start? It’s more than 20 years ago, it’s a long story.
I’m an immigrant, so I came to Australia when I was about 13 with my parents, and I started my schooling here from Year 8 onward. When I went to university at Adelaide Uni, I studied Commerce and Law. At that point, I had no intention to become a tax practitioner.
What really made me start thinking about tax as a career was one of the tax subjects within my commerce degree. I really thoroughly enjoyed that subject. That’s when I thought doing tax could be my career.
After I graduated, I worked briefly in a law firm, but I realised it wasn’t what I was interested in. I then moved to Darwin for a temporary job with a construction company as a contract administrator. That really opened my eyes, working in a different city and in industry.
My boss asked me what I would do next, and I said I wanted to do something in tax. He suggested firms like KPMG. I didn’t even know what the Big Four were at the time. He connected me with a partner at KPMG Darwin. I had an interview and got offered a job the next day.
That’s how I started in tax, working in business advisory. After about a year, I moved back to Adelaide and joined KPMG again, this time in indirect tax, GST. That’s where my career really developed.
Thanks for sharing. What was your introduction to The Tax Institute? Where in your journey did you find us?
At that time, once you started working in tax in a professional firm, you were expected to join The Tax Institute. It was almost like a must-have membership to support your credentials. So I became a member very early in my career.
Can you tell me how you became a volunteer at The Tax Institute? You sit on our National GST Technical Committee, how did that come about?
That came through my peers in the industry.
A colleague at KPMG who was on the GST Technical Committee was retiring and suggested I put my name forward. I thought, why not? If I can help the profession through the Institute, I’d be very happy to do that. That’s how I joined the committee about three years ago.
What impact has The Tax Institute has had on your career?
There are two main impacts.
The first is the network. Even though I’ve been in the industry for 20 years, being involved in the committee made me realise there are a lot more people practising in GST than I thought. I’ve been able to connect with people not just in firms, but also those working in industry, which brings a different perspective.
The second is the ability to contribute to policy. We’re at the forefront of helping shape policy intent. I believe if you get the policy right, the legislation will follow so it’s a privilege to be part of that process.
What do you like doing outside of tax?
I love cooking.
I’m not a great cook, but I really enjoy trying different recipes I find on social media. It’s something I do to unwind.
What have you made recently?
Recently I’ve been trying different pasta sauces. My kids love pasta, so I’ve been learning new recipes and keeping a little notebook of different sauces to try.
I’ve also been making desserts with my kids, mixing things together and experimenting with new ideas.
What is your children's favourite pasta that you've made?
Interestingly, my daughter tries all the new things I make, but in the end, she still loves the traditional bolognese the most.
My son likes anything with a creamy sauce, it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s creamy, he’s happy.
And what about you? Which one is your favourite that you've made so far?
Honestly, I’m not a big fan of pasta.
I like making dumplings, noodles and stir-fry dishes. But for pasta, I think every sauce I make is good. Although my kids always say something is missing!
How do you balance, your career and your life outside of tax as well as volunteering?
I’ve been very fortunate to have strong family support, especially from my in-laws. They help a lot when I need to travel.
My husband is also very supportive, and his job is quite stable, so that helps.
For me, it’s all about communication, letting my family know my schedule and when I might need help. You also need to be flexible and not feel guilty when priorities shift. Sometimes work comes first, and sometimes family does. My family is very understandable, very supportive.
Although I never worked part-time, I always worked full-time with two kids.
You've never worked part-time? Wow. How was your transition going from having kids back to work full-time? Was it a shock or were you happy about it? Did you miss it?
I actually felt quite happy going back to work after about a year.
You do miss your colleagues, your work and being involved. I was looking forward to going back.
Again, I had support from my in-laws and childcare, which helped a lot. Planning ahead makes a big difference.
Are your children interested in tax? Do they take after you?
No , my daughter just finished Year 12 and decided to study business marketing. She’s not interested in tax or law.
I haven’t asked my son yet, but I’d say it’s unlikely!
At any point in your career did you consider pursuing a different career path or for you was it always just tax?
There was a time I thought about becoming an entrepreneur and running my own business. Not in tax though.
I even considered buying a McDonald’s franchise at one stage. That's what I was thinking. Because my dad, he's a businessman, he runs his own business, a family business for over 30, 40 years. So, I grew up in that environment.
What family business was it?
My dad ran a manufacturing business in Hong Kong and China. They made plastic products. Things like tools you might see in Kmart or Target.
I grew up helping out in the factory, doing simple tasks like packaging. I was quite young at the time, but I really enjoyed it.
Do you think that maybe in those years where you used to help him out in the factory, it set you up to have such a strong work ethic as an adult?
Yes, definitely.
I saw firsthand how hard my parents worked, more than 12 hours a day. They were very hands-on and worked closely with their team.
I also learned a lot about teamwork from that environment. Everyone worked together and supported each other. That had a big impact on me.
What advice would you give to young and aspiring tax professionals looking to build their career?
You need to invest time in becoming a strong technical advisor.
It’s not enough to just rely on your working hours. You need to keep learning outside of work, whether that’s reading cases, rulings or listening to podcasts.
At the same time, you need to develop commercial understanding. It’s important to understand your client’s business, because advice that works in theory might not work in practice.
So I think both technical skills and commercial awareness are essential.
And one more question before we wrap up. What direction do you think the industry is going in from here?
AI is definitely a big part of the future.
I use AI tools every day. They can give you answers much faster than traditional research, but they’re not always perfect.
You need to use critical thinking, don’t just accept what AI gives you. I use it as a sounding board to test ideas and explore different perspectives.
It’s something we need to embrace but use responsibly.