Rising compliance demands and data obligations are hitting multinationals harder than any rate hike, survey of 1,010 senior leaders shows
The single greatest challenge confronting tax leaders worldwide is not the size of their tax bills but the relentless accumulation of complexity in the systems they are required to navigate, according to Deloitte's 2026 Global Tax Policy Survey.
The survey polled 1,010 senior tax and finance leaders from organizations with more than $100 million in annual revenue across 28 jurisdictions between January and March 2026.
Tax transparency and reporting obligations ranked as the most impactful policy theme for 65% of respondents (the third consecutive year at the top) followed by digitalization of tax at 56% and taxing work and wealth at 47%. For 38% of respondents, increased compliance, administrative and reporting requirements represented the single biggest operational impact across all themes examined.
On transparency, 84% expect public tax disclosure requirements to grow further over the next two to three years, with sourcing and verifying data identified as the most pressing execution challenge. The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and public country-by-country reporting were rated as having significant or moderate impact by the overwhelming majority.
"The stand-out fact on Transparency is that it is still the fundamentals - 'sourcing and verifying data' and 'understanding requirements and standards' – which come to the fore. This suggests that basic processes and procedures still need significant refining. As part of this, a focus on simplification must be central," said Tim Hayle, Tax Director at Deloitte UK.
Digitalization produced a mixed picture. Some 85% of respondents expect AI-based compliance software to deliver positive outcomes, with improved accuracy ranked highest at 29%. But 45% found AI-assisted audit findings difficult to understand and challenge, and a sharp decline in e-invoicing optimism was also recorded — the proportion expecting it to simplify compliance fell from 59% in 2024 to 36% in 2026, while data security concerns ran high throughout.
On Pillar Two, the Side-by-Side agreement and its new Safe Harbours were broadly welcomed, with 56% saying they would increase complexity in some areas but that the Safe Harbours represented a helpful offset. Some 88% now expect to pay more tax overall as a result of the global minimum tax regime, though the majority anticipate only marginal increases. Demand for further Pillar Two simplification remains strong at 41%.
Changes to US clean energy credits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are reshaping investment strategies, with 65% of respondents planning to shift toward more favored energy sources such as nuclear and biofuels. The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is generating parallel compliance pressures, while only 34% of businesses are fully utilizing available sustainability incentives, though 59% are actively exploring them.
"The central challenge going forward - and this runs through each of the themes explored here - is to check the balance between policy benefits and the costs and burdens of compliance," said Amanda Tickel, Deloitte Global Tax and Trade Policy Leader.
When asked what most influenced investment decision-making, respondents ranked tax stability and certainty above all else, suggesting future policy debates will be shaped as much by the demand for predictability as by the level of tax itself.
