Reimagining tax compliance with trusted data and AI

As regulatory demands intensify and tax authorities shift toward real-time, data-intensive compliance models, organisations are under increasing pressure to modernise. Meeting this challenge requires more than incremental change—it demands a fundamental rethinking of compliance itself, built on trust, automation, and scale.

That’s where the strategic alliance between PwC and Google Cloud comes in. What began as a collaboration has evolved into transformation. Together, we are challenging the status quo: moving from manual to automated, from spreadsheets to dashboards, and from simple oversight to actionable insight. A pillar of this strategic alliance is the Data Controls Engine, a cloud-native platform designed to embed trust directly into tax data, automate controls, and enable real-time insight across territories. As a cornerstone of PwC’s Connected Tax Compliance offering and Sightline ecosystem, it allows organizations to shift from reactive reporting to proactive control. To understand how this transformation plays out in practice, we spoke with Fiona Bones, Vice President of Finance and International Controller at Google. She shares her perspective on why trusted data is now mission-critical, and how technology is reshaping the role of the controller for the future.

Q: What are some of the biggest compliance challenges companies are facing and why is a new approach needed now? 

Fiona Bones: The real transformation shift is from output to input compliance. Historically, we focused on reporting past figures. Today, the focus must be on ensuring data quality at its source. 

This is driven by regulators who are moving rapidly towards e-invoicing and continuous transaction controls. Tax authorities are adopting AI at pace; they demand granular, real-time data. Discrepancies are now immediately visible, leading to rejections, penalties, and rework. As a result, managing input data is not simply an efficiency tool, it’s a crucial defensive strategy for compliance.

There is a significant opportunity here for forward planning and proactive compliance. Rather than reacting to regulatory changes, organisations can now anticipate and prepare for them, embedding trust and control directly into their data. 

Q: How is the role of the controller evolving, and what does the future look like?

Fiona Bones: Controllers are no longer just stewards of historical data; they are now architects of real-time data strategies. With automation, AI, and tools like the Data Controls Engine handling data collation and repair, controllers are free to focus on insights that drive decision-making and create real business impact. This evolution elevates the role from retrospective reporting to proactive assurance and strategic value creation. Controllers are helping shape the future of compliance, ensuring organisations remain resilient, agile, and ready for what’s next.

Looking ahead, the “controller of the future” will combine traditional expertise with new competencies such as data science fluency, systems architecture, and cross-functional collaboration. Regulatory compliance and safeguarding assets will remain core, but these tasks are becoming more streamlined, allowing controllers to concentrate on optimisation, strategic risk management, and generating value through modelling, structuring, and insights.

Q: Why is trusted data so important in compliance?

Fiona Bones: Data is the backbone of real-time compliance. The success of advanced technologies, such as AI and agentic AI, hinges on the quality and reliability of the data. Without trusted data, automation simply replicates errors. That’s why embedding trust and control is vital. Tools like the Data Controls Engine are crafted to do just that—conducting pre-submission checks and live validations, instilling trust directly into the data before it ever hits a regulator’s desk.

Q: What excites you about the future of compliance?

Fiona Bones: It’s an inspiring moment to be part of this field. For much of my career, technology improvements have been incremental, small steps forward rather than transformative change. Now, we are seeing that giant leap that we have been wanting for so long. With AI and automation handling routine tasks like data collection and repair, controllers are freed up to focus on what really matters: providing insights, making real-time decisions, and enhancing business value.

By collaborating with organisations like PwC, we combine technical expertise with practical experience to ensure these new capabilities deliver measurable value.

Q: What advice would you give to peers?

Fiona Bones: We need to embrace a proactive digital strategy. The writing’s already on the wall and regulators are ahead of the curve. 

Being proactive is crucial in this arena. Develop a clear, long-term roadmap for tax technology adoption that aligns with broader business goals and anticipates future changes. Make high-quality, integrated data your cornerstone and invest substantially in data governance, automated data cleanup, and continual validation to maintain accuracy and reliability.

This is a shift from oversight to insight. It’s fundamentally about empowering your team. Recognise that the role of the controller is changing, identify the skills your organisation needs to meet this moment, and enable your team to embrace the transformation. By doing so, you’ll position your business to thrive in a rapidly evolving compliance landscape.

Q: Why PwC and Google Cloud?

Fiona Bones: The shift we’re seeing isn’t theoretical anymore. It’s happening in real time, and it’s enabling controllers and compliance teams to focus on value, not just remediation.

Working with PwC helps turn these complex ideas into something operational, something people can actually use. With trusted data at the center, compliance can finally become a space where teams feel empowered rather than overwhelmed.