William Saunders awarded GATA Tax Essay Prize

William Saunders of Deloitte Gibraltar has been awarded the GATA Tax Essay Prize 2026 for his essay Gibraltar’s Approach to Transfer Pricing: A Systematic Review. 

The announcement was made by the Minister for Trade and Industry, Nigel Feetham, who has responsibility for taxation, and the prize was presented on behalf of the Gibraltar Association of Tax Advisers (GATA). 

The biennial prize seeks to promote original thought and research on Gibraltar taxation and international tax issues relevant to Gibraltar. This year’s competition attracted submissions from professionals and aspiring practitioners. 

The judging panel comprised Grahame Jackson ADIT CTA (Fellow), Chair of GATA and Tax Partner at Hassans; Rory Mullan KC of Old Square Tax Chambers; John Azzopardi CTA, Tax Director at RSM; Lynette Chaudhary CTA, Tax Director at Sovereign Tax Services; and Jamie Trinidad KC, Consultant at Isolas LLP and Senior Counsel at Albertson Solicitors. 

The judges praised the essay for its analysis of transfer pricing and its relevance to the continued development of Gibraltar’s tax framework. 

The Under-25 Prize was awarded to Katherine Azra Happold for her essay The Return of Taxation as Unlawful State Aid: Implications of the UK-EU Agreement in respect of Gibraltar. 

The judges described the essay as a thoughtful and timely examination of an issue relevant to Gibraltar’s relationship with the United Kingdom and the European Union. 

Ms Happold joined Hassans as a summer student for the last two years. 

Mr Feetham said: “The Tax Essay Prize is a very worthy project which encourages experienced professionals and younger thinkers to engage and think about our tax system.” 

“I am particularly impressed by the focus on the younger professional with the Under 25 category. It is important we help our professionals grow and engage with our tax system on an intellectual level. That can only make us all better. Thanks to the judging panel and GATA for organising this.” 

Mr Jackson said: “We had a record number of entries this year with entries from the UK, Spain, Gibraltar and South Africa.” 

“The standard of entries this year was exceptionally high and made for a very challenging judging process. William’s essay tackled the increasingly important issue of transfer pricing from a Gibraltar perspective, while Katherine’s explored a complex and highly topical aspect of state aid and the UK-EU relationship.” 

“Both submissions demonstrated intellectual rigour, originality and a strong understanding of issues relevant to Gibraltar’s tax system. On behalf of the judging panel, I congratulate both winners on their outstanding achievements.” 

“The GATA Tax Essay Prize exists to encourage thoughtful engagement with taxation issues affecting Gibraltar and to showcase the depth of talent within and beyond our profession. Both winners have produced work of real merit and should be extremely proud of their accomplishments.” 

Ms Chaudhary said: “Sovereign is proud to continue supporting an initiative that promotes excellence in tax scholarship and encourages informed discussion of Gibraltar’s tax framework.” 

“Congratulations to both winners and to all those who submitted essays. The quality of this year’s entries demonstrates the continuing strength and vibrancy of Gibraltar’s tax community.” 

The winning essays, together with a selection of other highly rated submissions, will be considered for publication in due course.