Every October or November, I sit in a ballroom, listening to another round of Budget updates.
This morning, I did the same again at Holiday Villa, Johor Bahru.

And people always ask me: “Koh, why you still go? Budget also nothing special.”

To be honest, they are right.
This year’s Budget 2026 seminar was not shocking, dramatic, or game-changing.

But I still attend every year for two simple reasons.

First reason: It is compulsory CPD if I want to keep my tax agent license.
Exciting or not, rules are rules.

Second reason: It feels like a family reunion.

I met my ex-boss who trained me in my early days.
I shook hands with ex-colleagues from the firms I worked in.
Ex-KTP team members from different years were also there.
And I saw old friends in the accounting industry whom I have known for more than 30 years.

We only meet a few times a year, and Budget seminar is always one of them.

We sit together during coffee break and lunch.
We complain about the same pain points, laugh at the same old jokes, and update each other about work and life.

After a while, the seminar becomes more than tax updates.
It becomes a reminder that this profession has been part of my life for decades.

Sometimes, the real value of an event is not in the slides or technical notes.
It is in the people, the memories, and the friendships built over years.

Budget changes may come and go.
But the relationships stay.

To all my industry friends reading this, see you again next year.