Joshua Navarro is a Client Director and the proud owner of our office pup Goten the Schnauzer. He works closely with Peter Caunt and Daisy Huang. We spoke to Josh as part of our Client Newsletter and found out why he became an accountant and how he helped his clients in 2020.

What attracted you to become an accountant?

I was first introduced to the idea in my high school days at the ripe age of 16 when the career advisor at the time suggested that I look into Accounting – thinking that it was a good fit for me at the time.

Shortly after, we had “mock -interviews” where representatives of many different career industries interviewed students. It was there that I first met Paul Hareb who I felt very comfortable with – the way he held himself professionally and spoke – I felt this was the field I wanted to pursue and never looked back!

What area of accounting appeals to you most and why?

There are many parts of the Accounting profession which appeal to me, but the ones that stand out the most would have to be the continuous growth and learning path. Every client situation is different. Every meeting and part of an engagement has it’s own merits of experience. This is why I have remained in the profession for coming up to almost 13 years.

Over the years, I have been given the opportunity by the firm to strengthen my technical knowledge in what we find to be one of the most complex areas of taxation that we deal with – the small business CGT concessions. Part of an already ever-changing environment, this part of taxation law is continuously evolving and is one the ATO has challenged several times, so it is imperative to work through the legislation and apply to our clients’ unique situations. Getting our clients over the line in this particular field can save substantial amounts of tax be it a sale of a business, restructure or downsizing their affairs.

How did you assist your clients in 2020?

I feel this would have to be a common answer across the profession that would have to be the interpretation and application of the stimulus packages – namely JobKeeper and the cash flow boost.

Fortunately, we are a nimble and responsive firm that allowed me to take on the role to lead the training sessions and be one of the “go to” persons in the firm for these new regulations that were extremely complicated, particularly where the eligibility criteria changed a number of times.

The ability to be on the front foot by training our team who were then able to apply their knowledge led to our clients expressing their appreciation of our efforts because this made a significant financial impact to those business that were particularly affected by the state’s laws that affected their ordinary operations (forced closures, number of customers allowed etc).

What are your interests outside of work?

Aside from the quality time we all enjoy spending with family and friends, I really enjoyed the opportunity to travel when we once could! I’m looking forward to when the pandemic environment eases so I can continue to see parts of the world I am itching to go to.

I also routinely exercise at the local gym and practice BJJ, Muay Thai and Krav Maga. I am a strong proponent of incorporating health and wellbeing practices into my everyday lifestyle. These disciplines also teach me the values of humility, comradery, how to challenge myself and that you can never stop learning!