As tax complexity dominates headlines and executives’ planning agendas, more heads of tax are taking a seat at the table with C-suite decision-makers, according to a new survey from top 10 accounting firm BDO USA.
The 2025 BDO Tax Strategist Survey found that a trend the accounting firm identified years ago and termed the rise of the “tax strategist” has reached new heights. Tax leaders are increasingly taking a seat center stage in decision making than ever before.
Major U.S. tax policy changes and increasing business complexity are key causes of this shift, according to BDO USA. In addition, more tax leaders are being empowered with the appropriate resources, technology, and talent to take a holistic approach to tax strategy. Looking ahead, they must now also focus on cementing their positions as key advisors across the business.
“We are seeing more tax teams step up as key advisors to the C-suite, helping navigate policy change, shape strategy, and drive growth,” Matthew Becker, national managing principal of tax at BDO USA, who will succeed the retiring Wayne Berson as the firm’s CEO next summer, said in a statement. “This environment creates opportunities for tax leaders to help guide their organizations through uncertainty while demonstrating the full potential of the value they can deliver.”
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Tax executives are regularly asked to weigh in on strategic discussions across the business, from resilience strategy to transaction planning, operational risk management, supply chain management, and more, according to BDO USA.
CFOs play a key role in tax’s influence, with 92% of tax leaders reporting that CFOs bring them to the table for important business strategy conversations, and 90% saying that their CFO helps facilitate cross-collaboration between tax and other functions.
Another factor is companies must navigate multiple fronts of policy changes simultaneously. Top challenges include changes to U.S. tariffs (41%), changes to Inflation Reduction Act clean energy credits (36%), new accounting rules (34%), as well as rising global risks like increasing transfer pricing audit activity (32%).
According to the survey, tax functions report compounding challenges from both internal and external factors, creating significant tax risks. Looking ahead, leaders expect their greatest sources of tax risk to come from rapid growth, whether organic or through acquisition (22%), followed by technology challenges (20%) and organizational transformation (17%).
Fortunately, tax functions are taking strides to improve their ability to spot and mitigate risk. Fifty-two percent report that they leverage tax technology to help reduce the risk of human error and highlight data anomalies.
More than two-thirds (67%) of tax leaders say they will increase investment in tax technology in the next 12 months, signaling their commitment to digital transformation to meet evolving compliance requirements. Meanwhile, 58% plan to increase spending on initiatives like training and upskilling their teams, a critical component for successful technology rollout, BDO USA says.
While artificial intelligence ranks highly among the tools tax teams deploy, less than half (44%) of organizations report using data management systems, which are essential for effectively leveraging AI tools and platforms, the accounting firm added.
The 2025 BDO Tax Strategist Survey polled 300 senior tax leaders at companies with revenues ranging from $250 million to $3 billion in May 2025. The survey was conducted by Rabin Roberts Research, an independent market research firm. All respondents in this survey indicated they oversee and are heavily involved in the day-to-day tax operations at their organizations.
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Tags: BDO USA, c-suite, CFOs, corporate tax, corporate tax leaders, Taxes
