Benchmarking Indirect Tax in a data-driven era

From tightening data expectations to the spread of real time digital reporting, indirect tax is moving rapidly up the corporate agenda. Value Added Tax (VAT) and Goods and Services Tax (GST) are no longer seen only as compliance costs; they are now recognized as strategic issues that affect cash flow, risk, and the quality of financial data across the business.

The 2026 Indirect Tax Benchmarking Survey explores how leading organizations are responding to this shift. It examines the mounting pressure on data quality, the constraints posed by legacy ERP systems and manual workarounds, and the growing role of technology, including AI, automation, and analytics, in managing today’s more demanding VAT/GST landscape.

The report aims to provide tax leaders with practical insight into how operating models, data, and technology are evolving. It helps organizations in benchmarking their own approaches, understanding the key challenges, from skills gaps to fragmented e-invoicing ownership, and identifying where to invest to build a more robust, future ready indirect tax function.

Key actions to help indirect tax teams prepare for the future

Improve data quality and cut manual fixes

Use AI and stronger system controls to lift VAT/GST data quality and reduce corrective work.

Centralize and scale compliance

Move toward more centralized and externally supported VAT/GST compliance models to boost consistency and control.

Build technology and process capabilities

Develop the indirect tax team’s skills in data, technology and process design to meet new digital demands.

Reinforce VAT/GST control frameworks

Extend control frameworks to focus on transaction level controls, especially in higher risk countries and regimes.

Define clear ownership and align on e-invoicing

Clarify responsibilities across Tax, Finance and IT, encourage closer collaboration, and streamline tooling between global platforms and mandatory local solutions.