The use of emerging technologies and tax governance practices: analysis and discussion of models adopted by Brazilian Economic groups

This paper aims to identify the challenges imposed by technological evolution to the development of Tax Governance, understood as a vertical of Corporate Governance, dedicated to transposing and adapting its fundamentals to the area of Tax Management and Execution. In this mission, the methodological tool of the case study of two large Brazilian companies, Petrobras and OAS Group, present in various segments of economic activity, from Energy and Construction, and with international operations in geographic terms, was used. The research developed had a qualitative bias, having as main methodological instruments the study of multiple cases, using bibliographic and documentary survey, as well as semi-structured interviews with key executives of the two companies. Likewise, it adopted direct observation through on-site visits to their respective shared service centers. The study was carried out from 2013 to 2019. The theoretical basis was anchored in the areas of Corporate Governance, Tax Governance and Emerging Technologies, applicable to the tax execution process. It was concluded that the challenge of meeting tax obligations in Brazil is very large, consuming organizational and financial resources, which demands significant investments in emerging technologies such as a focus on management, governance and auditing. Both companies suffered from corruption scandals, but Petrobras, a partner in the government, is in an outstanding position in relation to OAS Group, which is still undergoing intense restructuring. The health crisis at COVID-19 contributed to negative results, but promoted important changes in the structure and way of working, consolidating the decision to share services, mainly to increase compliance and control, as well as reduce corporate risks.