Deloitte and its Deloitte Foundation announced that a student team representing Fordham University has won the 19th annual Deloitte FanTAXtic national case study competition for the best presentation of an analysis of a complex tax case.
This year's finals were held Jan. 17-18, 2020, at Deloitte University in West Lake, Texas. Each of the nine teams participating in the finals previously won the Deloitte FanTAXtic contest in their respective U.S. regions. Approximately 60 teams representing more than 40 colleges and universities participated in regional qualifiers at Deloitte offices throughout the U.S. prior to the finals, from Nov. 7-8, 2019.
This year's case study tasked students to analyze the impact of using debt versus equity to expand the operations for a fictional startup venture.
"Congratulations to all of the students that participated in this year's competition for their technical proficiency, teamwork and innovative thinking to solve the complexities of the business case challenge," said Steve Kimble, chairman and CEO at Deloitte Tax, in a statement. "There has never been a more exciting time to be in tax given the magnitude of change we have seen related to tax reform, technology transformation, and globalization. These students are truly getting a real-world experience that provides the opportunity to build their skills and be exposed to the types of challenges that will face them as they prepare for the tax profession of tomorrow."
"Through FanTAXtic, the Deloitte Foundation is able to show students what a tax career can offer," said Vickie Carr, partner at Deloitte Tax, in a statement. "Aligning with our mission to help prepare the next generation of talent, the competition connects the academic experience to real-world business scenarios enabling students to use a variety of technical and soft skills to deliver a solution to the case. I am continually impressed by the caliber of students participating in this competition."
The 2020 FanTAXtic case study competition results are as follows:
- First place: Fordham University
- Second place: University of Northern Iowa
- Third place: DePaul University
- Other finalists: Brigham Young University, Truman State University, University of Florida, University of Houston, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and University of Mississippi
For more on the FanTAXtic competition, head to Deloitte's
