One minute with Dominik Wellmann, Global Head of Tax & Customs at Mercedes-Benz.
What’s keeping you busy at work?
We’re currently focused on a deeper integration of our tax and customs compliance into our broader risk and governance frameworks. The goal: earlier risk identification and smarter decision-making.
What do you know now that you wish you’d known at the start of your career?
That tax is never just about numbers. It’s about people, trust and timing. Early in my career, I underestimated the importance of visibility of a tax and customs function and storytelling. Today, I know that even the best technical solution needs a narrative to gain traction across the organisation and on board level.
Share some tips on managing the in-house tax function.
At Mercedes-Benz, our tax team lives by the motto ‘Turn knowledge into value and trust’. We see ourselves not just as compliance guardians but as strategic business enablers. Visibility is key. Tax must be at the table at the earliest stage when decisions are made – not just consulted afterward. We’ve embedded tax into our governance structures, ensuring early involvement in cross-functional risks. This proactive stance has elevated our role from reactive to strategic.
If you could make one change to a tax law or practice, what would it be?
I would introduce a legal framework that explicitly governs the use of AI in tax audits and assessments. While the German tax law (Abgabenordnung) already allows for automated case processing, there’s a lack of clarity around how AI-generated decisions can be challenged, audited or explained. As AI systems become more prevalent in tax administration, we need safeguards to ensure transparency, accountability, and legal recourse for taxpayers. This includes mandatory explainability standards, audit trails for algorithmic decisions, and clear rules for human oversight. Without these, we risk undermining trust in the system – even if technology itself is sound.
What’s topical in your world?
Artificial Intelligence is transforming the tax function from a reactive compliance unit into a proactive strategic adviser. At Mercedes-Benz, we’re exploring AI-driven tools for risk detection, document classification and natural language processing to analyse tax rulings and legislation. The challenge is to embed these technologies responsibly – ensuring transparency, auditability and alignment with our governance standards. AI doesn’t replace tax expertise, but it amplifies it. The trend is clear: tax professionals must become tech-literate to stay relevant. So once again, focusing on the change process and our people is essential.
Finally, you might not know this about me but...
In my free time, I like to solve Rubik cubes. It helps me to relax and get to focus to something completely different. And it’s part of my mindset and nature – dealing with problems and trying to get them solved in different ways. It also helps to strengthen my personal failure culture of trial and error.
One minute with Dominik Wellmann, Global Head of Tax & Customs at Mercedes-Benz.
What’s keeping you busy at work?
We’re currently focused on a deeper integration of our tax and customs compliance into our broader risk and governance frameworks. The goal: earlier risk identification and smarter decision-making.
What do you know now that you wish you’d known at the start of your career?
That tax is never just about numbers. It’s about people, trust and timing. Early in my career, I underestimated the importance of visibility of a tax and customs function and storytelling. Today, I know that even the best technical solution needs a narrative to gain traction across the organisation and on board level.
Share some tips on managing the in-house tax function.
At Mercedes-Benz, our tax team lives by the motto ‘Turn knowledge into value and trust’. We see ourselves not just as compliance guardians but as strategic business enablers. Visibility is key. Tax must be at the table at the earliest stage when decisions are made – not just consulted afterward. We’ve embedded tax into our governance structures, ensuring early involvement in cross-functional risks. This proactive stance has elevated our role from reactive to strategic.
If you could make one change to a tax law or practice, what would it be?
I would introduce a legal framework that explicitly governs the use of AI in tax audits and assessments. While the German tax law (Abgabenordnung) already allows for automated case processing, there’s a lack of clarity around how AI-generated decisions can be challenged, audited or explained. As AI systems become more prevalent in tax administration, we need safeguards to ensure transparency, accountability, and legal recourse for taxpayers. This includes mandatory explainability standards, audit trails for algorithmic decisions, and clear rules for human oversight. Without these, we risk undermining trust in the system – even if technology itself is sound.
What’s topical in your world?
Artificial Intelligence is transforming the tax function from a reactive compliance unit into a proactive strategic adviser. At Mercedes-Benz, we’re exploring AI-driven tools for risk detection, document classification and natural language processing to analyse tax rulings and legislation. The challenge is to embed these technologies responsibly – ensuring transparency, auditability and alignment with our governance standards. AI doesn’t replace tax expertise, but it amplifies it. The trend is clear: tax professionals must become tech-literate to stay relevant. So once again, focusing on the change process and our people is essential.
Finally, you might not know this about me but...
In my free time, I like to solve Rubik cubes. It helps me to relax and get to focus to something completely different. And it’s part of my mindset and nature – dealing with problems and trying to get them solved in different ways. It also helps to strengthen my personal failure culture of trial and error.
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