Tax Manager

Stockgap Fuels Limited

Stockgap Fuels Limited – We are a leading oil and gas company operating in Nigeria’s downstream sector with our head office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. To meet the growing demand of Nigeria’s Market, Stockgap Fuels Limited is expanding its LPG business by investing in additional storage and cylinder-filling facilities in 4 strategic locations spanning major regions of the country – Lagos/South-West, South-South/South-East, North-Central/North-West, and North-East regions, respectively.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Tax Manager

Location: Rivers State

Job Summary

• To lead the company’s tax function, ensuring full compliance with all applicable federal, state and local tax laws, accurate tax accounting and reporting, effective management of tax risk, and the legitimate optimization of the company’s tax position across a multi-location downstream oil and gas business.
• The Manager, Tax owns the company’s tax strategy, compliance calendar, tax planning, tax audits and disputes, and the tax implications of commercial, financing and investment decisions.
• The role is the company’s principal point of contact with tax authorities and external tax advisers, and a trusted advisor to the CFO, EXCO and business leaders on the tax impact of transactions, contracts and regulatory change.

Scope and Key dimensions of the role:

• Accountable for all direct and indirect taxes of the company and its subsidiaries, including HQ, depots, terminals, retail stations, LPG and gas operations.
• Covers corporate income tax, value-added tax (VAT), withholding tax (WHT), employee taxes (PAYE), development and other statutory levies, stamp duties, customs and excise matters, transfer pricing, and state and local government taxes and charges.
• Leads and develops the tax team and sets its objectives, standards and succession pipeline.
• Operates in a high-volume, multi-product environment (PMS, AGO, DPK, LPG, gas and lubricants) with significant import, inventory, intercompany, financing and cross-border transactions.
• Works within Board-approved tax policy and delegated authority, escalating matters outside these limits to the CFO.

Responsibilities

Tax Strategy, Policy and Governance:

• Develop and implement the tax strategy and policy, aligned with the company’s business objectives, risk appetite and values, and approved by the CFO and Board.
• Establish a tax governance and control framework, including documented processes, roles, approvals, a tax risk register and a compliance calendar.
• Advise the CFO and EXCO on the tax implications of business strategy, including expansion, restructuring, capital investment, financing, and mergers and acquisitions.
• Ensure tax risks and exposures are identified, quantified, reported and mitigated, and keep the CFO, Audit Committee and Board informed of material tax matters.
• Promote a culture of tax compliance and ethical conduct across the business, and train non-tax colleagues on tax-sensitive processes.

Direct Tax Compliance and Reporting:

• Ensure accurate and timely computation, filing and payment of corporate income tax and other direct taxes, including provisional tax, tax returns, supporting schedules and capital allowance computations.
• Ensure compliance with applicable development levies, minimum tax provisions and other statutory charges under current Nigerian tax law, as amended.
• Prepare and review tax computations, tax clearance certificates and related documentation for regulatory, banking, contract and licensing purposes.
• Ensure compliance with any sector-specific tax and fiscal provisions, including those under the Petroleum Industry Act and related regulations, as applicable to the company’s activities.
• Track and apply tax incentives, exemptions, reliefs and credits available to the company, and ensure supporting documentation is maintained to sustain claims.

Indirect Tax (VAT, WHT, Customs and Excise):

• Ensure accurate and timely VAT registration, computation, returns and remittances, including the correct treatment of exempt, zero-rated and standard-rated supplies, input VAT recovery and refunds.
• Oversee withholding tax deduction, remittance, reconciliation and credit-note management on payments to vendors, contractors, service providers and customers, and ensure timely issuance and collection of WHT credit notes.
• Provide tax guidance on import transactions, customs duties and excise treatment, working with Supply, Logistics and customs clearing agents to minimize cost and compliance risk.
• Ensure compliance with electronic invoicing, fiscalization and related tax administration requirements as they apply, in coordination with IT and Finance systems teams.
• Review contracts, pricing structures and commercial terms for VAT, WHT and other indirect tax implications before execution.

Employee, Payroll and Local Taxes:

• Ensure accurate PAYE computation, deduction and remittance to the relevant state revenue authorities, in coordination with HR and Payroll.
• Ensure compliance with statutory contributions and deductions, including pension, NSITF, ITF, NHF and other employment-related levies, as applicable.
• Manage compliance with state and local government taxes, rates, permits and charges across all operating locations, including land use charges, signage, business premises and other levies.
• Advise on the tax treatment of employee benefits, allowances, expatriate arrangements and share-based or incentive schemes.

Transfer Pricing and International Tax:

• Ensure compliance with transfer pricing regulations, including contemporaneous documentation, benchmarking studies, disclosures and returns for related-party transactions.
• Advise on the tax treatment of cross-border payments, including management fees, royalties, interest, technical services, double taxation treaty relief and withholding obligations.
• Review intercompany agreements, funding structures and cost allocations to ensure arm’s-length pricing and sustainable tax positions.
• Monitor international tax developments, including global minimum tax and BEPS-related rules, and assess their potential impact on the group.

Tax Accounting and Financial Reporting:

• Ensure accurate current and deferred tax accounting in accordance with IFRS (IAS 12 and IFRIC 23), including the determination of effective tax rate, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and recoverability assessments.
• Prepare tax provisions, reconciliations and disclosures for monthly management accounts, quarterly reporting and the annual financial statements.
• Evaluate and document uncertain tax positions and contingent tax liabilities, and ensure appropriate provisioning and disclosure.
• Partner with Financial Control and Reporting on the close process, audit schedules and responses to external auditor queries on tax balances.
• Support tax forecasting and budgeting, including cash tax projections and effective tax rate planning, in coordination with Treasury and FP&A.

Tax Audits, Disputes and Authority Relations:

• Act as the primary interface with tax authorities, including the Nigeria Revenue Service and other federal bodies, state internal revenue services, local government authorities and customs.
• Lead the management of tax audits, investigations, assessments and queries, ensuring timely, accurate and well-documented responses.
• Manage tax disputes, objections and appeals, working with external counsel and advisers, including representation before the Tax Appeal Tribunal and the courts where required.
• Pursue refunds, credits, waivers, amnesties and settlement opportunities where beneficial to the company.
• Build constructive, professional relationships with tax authorities, industry associations and regulators, and track and respond to proposed changes in tax policy and administration.

Tax Planning and Business Support:

• Provide proactive tax planning and structuring advice on transactions, projects, contracts, financing, leasing, asset acquisition and disposal, and restructuring, within the bounds of law and company policy.
• Evaluate the tax implications of capital expenditure, depot and terminal investments, retail network expansion and infrastructure projects, including capital allowances and incentives.
• Work with Treasury on the tax treatment of borrowing, interest deductibility, FX gains and losses, hedging and trade finance instruments.
• Monitor changes in tax legislation, regulations, circulars and court decisions, assess their impact, brief management, and lead implementation of required changes in systems, processes and contracts.
• Support due diligence, tax structuring and post-transaction integration for acquisitions, partnerships and new ventures.

Systems, Process Improvement and Automation:

• Optimize the tax configuration of the ERP system (Microsoft Dynamics, SAP, Oracle or equivalent), including tax codes, WHT and VAT setups, and automated reporting.
• Drive automation of tax computat