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Report

Global Tax Outlook 2025

Reimagining tax compliance.

Updated: December 09, 2025

The 2025 BDO Global Tax Outlook report explores the forces transforming global tax compliance and strategy worldwide. Regulatory changes are accelerating as tax authorities grapple with trade wars, low growth, and political tension. Pressures mount on the bottom line, stretching compliance functions to their limit. At the same time, AI is beginning to transform operations across the board.

Based on insights from 500 tax leaders worldwide, representing industries such as energy, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services, the report reveals how a wide range of organizations are responding to these challenges.

Key report findings


81% of businesses report spending more time responding to tax authority queries than in 2023.
Complexity of global tax frameworks and increases in digital mandates are driving heavier workloads and increasing risk exposure.
Most respondents expect to see improvements in the accuracy of AI over the next three years.
However, there are lower expectations when it comes to AI’s impact on strategy or the quality of tax compliance work.
40% of respondents expect to see a shift towards more outsourcing over the next few years.
This reflects both the acceptance of outsourcing’s benefits and caution around overcommitting to a partner or strategy that might not be fit for purpose further down the line.
66% of businesses expect their compliance costs to rise in the coming year.
This is particularly true for smaller businesses with limited resources. To manage complexity, companies should harness technology, invest in integrated data strategies, and foster stronger collaboration with tax authorities.

The bottom line

Tax leaders must act quickly to adopt innovation, leverage technology, and align tax priorities with broader business goals to stay competitive in an increasingly complex environment.

Read the 2025 report

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This piece was originally developed by BDO Global. All rights reserved.