Business students win top award in Irish Tax Institute Fantasy Budget Competition

Four GMIT business students, Ian Kelly, John Waldron, John Pigott and John Brennan, were runners-up in the national Irish Tax Institute Fantasy Budget competition 2016. The students, from Galway, Mayo and Westmeath, are studying for a Bachelor of Business in Economics & Finance at the Galway campus.

Over 600 students from across Ireland entered the competition with the GMIT team winning second place. The competing teams were required to analyse the October 2015 Budget announced by the Minister for Finance Michael Noonan and critically analyse how measures impacted on individuals, families, indigenous Irish business and foreign direct investment into Ireland, as well as their own unique measure if they themselves were the Finance Minister.

The judging panel, which included leading economists and business analysts commended the students on their critical thinking, in-depth analysis and awareness of the impact of Budget 2016 initiatives on the economy.  

“The judges were extremely impressed in particular with their proposal on pensions’ reform,” says Patricia McCann, the students’ lecturer, who expressed her immense pride in their achievement.

“This prestigious award reflects the students’ hard work, perseverance and dedication to succeed. They have applied their knowledge of the academic theory to real-life professional experiences necessary for students to succeed in and out of the classroom.“

“All of us in the School of Business are delighted with their achievement. They are a joy and a privilege to work with and we wish them every success in their future exciting careers,” adds Ms McCann.

Deirdre Lusby, Head of the GMIT Dept of Management, School of Business, says: “We are very proud of our winning students and their critical abilities, as well as academic excellence, which have been developed over the course of their degree studies here. This achievement is a recognition of the dedication and expertise of their lecturers, Patricia and all her colleagues in the School of Business, who are continually striving to help students become self-starters and innovative. Our staff do all they can to help students develop academically and personally so that when they graduate they are ready to make an immediate contribution to their workplace.”

For further information on programmes in the School of Business such as the Bachelor of Business Honours in Finance and Economics, visit: http://www.gmit.ie/business/school-business (see right -hand panel for links to individual programmes)

For details on the Fantasy Budget Competition see: http://www.careerintax.ie/competitions/fantasy-budget-2016/