Tax advisor to tax policy analyst
A tax advisor already meets 27% of what the tax policy analyst role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.6/ 100
1 How much of what a tax policy analyst is expected to do is already part of a tax advisor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the tax policy analyst role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tax policy analyst role treats 5 of its required skills as things a tax advisor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on tax policy
- cadastral taxation
- develop taxation policies
- research taxation procedures
- tax legislation
What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tax policy analyst role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tax advisor background worth leading with.
- already held develop taxation policies management skills
- already held cadastral taxation business, administration and law
- already held research taxation procedures information skills
- already held advise on tax policy communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on tax planning communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation communication, collaboration and creativity
All 9 carried skills, including the 5 the tax policy analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn company policies required
- still to learn organisational policies required
- still to learn business analysis required
- still to learn corporate law required
- still to learn public finance required
- still to learn public law required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held budgetary principles optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held audit techniques optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- still to learn develop organisational policies required
- still to learn supervise advocacy work required
- optional, not held manage administrative systems optional
- optional, not held manage government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- still to learn government policy implementation required
- still to learn politics required
- still to learn monitor company policy required
- optional, not held forecast account metrics optional
- optional, not held advise on public finance optional
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held write work-related reports optional
- optional, not held comply with legal regulations optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tax policy analyst role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 company policies study this
- 02 organisational policies study this
- 03 business analysis study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held advise on tax policy skill
- already held cadastral taxation knowledge
- already held develop taxation policies skill
- already held research taxation procedures skill
- already held tax legislation knowledge
- already held advise on tax planning skill
- already held disseminate information on tax legislation skill
- already held fraud detection knowledge
- already held prepare financial auditing reports skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held use microsoft office optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held budgetary principles optional
- optional, not held manage administrative systems optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held advise on public finance optional
- optional, not held audit techniques optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held comply with legal regulations optional
- optional, not held ensure cross-department cooperation optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held forecast account metrics optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held manage government policy implementation optional
- optional, not held office software optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- optional, not held use microsoft office optional
- optional, not held write work-related reports optional
33 held skills the tax policy analyst role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting entries knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
- not needed by the target role advise on financial matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on legal decisions skill
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate tax skill
- not needed by the target role check official documents skill
- not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect tax skill
- not needed by the target role commercial law knowledge
- not needed by the target role compile legal documents skill
- not needed by the target role conduct financial audits skill
- not needed by the target role inform on fiscal duties skill
- not needed by the target role inspect tax returns skill
- not needed by the target role inspect taxation documents skill
- not needed by the target role international financial reporting standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role international taxation of transfer prices knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role legal department processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role legal terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage payroll reports skill
- not needed by the target role manage personal finances skill
- not needed by the target role national generally accepted accounting principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role negotiate in legal cases skill
- not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role prepare tax returns forms skill
- not needed by the target role provide legal advice skill
- not needed by the target role secure sensitive customer's information skill
- not needed by the target role sign income tax returns skill
- not needed by the target role use consulting techniques skill
- not needed by the target role value-added tax law knowledge
16 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn company policies required
- still to learn organisational policies required
- still to learn business analysis required
- still to learn corporate law required
- still to learn government policy implementation required
- still to learn politics required
- still to learn public finance required
- still to learn public law required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held budgetary principles optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held audit techniques optional
- optional, not held bookkeeping regulations optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held international business optional
- optional, not held office software optional
Other moves recorded from tax advisor
- tax clerk 52% covered · moderate
- tax inspector 48% covered · moderate
- tax compliance officer 41% covered · substantial
- legal consultant 30% covered · substantial
- audit supervisor 30% covered · substantial
- financial fraud examiner 30% covered · substantial
- accountant 28% covered · career change
- financial auditor 27% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a tax advisor become a tax policy analyst?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A tax advisor already covers 27% of what a tax policy analyst is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 5 of which the tax policy analyst role treats as required.
What skills does a tax advisor need to become a tax policy analyst?
12 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is company policies.
How hard is the move from tax advisor to tax policy analyst?
Its learning distance is 70.6 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.