II: Income tax

Articles in this section · 16

Article 193

French General Tax CodeIn force

Updated 8 Nov 2023

Subject to the provisions of Article 196 B, taxable income shall, for the purposes of calculating income tax, be divided into a certain number of units, determined in accordance with Article 194, according to the taxpayer's situation and family responsibilities.

The income corresponding to a full share is taxed by application of the tariff provided for in Article 197.

Gross tax is equal to the product of the contribution thus obtained multiplied by the number of units.

The tax due by the taxpayer is calculated from the gross tax less, where applicable, the tax reductions provided for by articles 199 quater C to 200, and, where applicable, the withholding taxes, levies and tax credits mentioned in article 117 quater, in I of l'article 125 A, to the articles 182 A, 182 A bis, 182 A ter, 182 B, 199 ter, 199 ter A, 199 quater B, at 4 of the 199 sexdecies article and at articles 200 quater to 200 quaterdecies.

For the application of the first paragraph, taxable income and the various elements used to determine it are rounded to the nearest euro. The fraction of a euro equal to 0.50 is counted as 1.

Mariela Petrova

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Common Questions

Working with a corporate lawyer in France — Q&A

Any time a strategic decision changes how the company is owned, governed or contractually bound — incorporation, fundraising, M&A, restructuring, shareholder agreements, or major commercial contracts. Earlier engagement always costs less than later remediation.

A notary (notaire) is a public officer who authenticates specific deeds (mainly real-estate transfers and certain family-law acts). A corporate lawyer (avocat) advises on strategy, negotiates and drafts company documents, and represents you in disputes. The two roles complement rather than overlap.

Yes — most of our clients are foreign suppliers, investors or holding entities. We bridge the gap between French law and your home jurisdiction's expectations and deliver everything bilingually.

The SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) is the default choice for most international structures: flexible governance, single shareholder allowed, no minimum capital, and works cleanly with foreign holding entities. We assess SARL, SA, SCI on the merits when the situation calls for it.

Yes — communications with a French avocat are protected by the secret professionnel (Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971). This protection is broader than the common-law attorney-client privilege and applies to written and oral exchanges.

We work on fixed fees for clearly scoped engagements (incorporation, contract drafting, audits) and on monthly retainers for ongoing advisory. Hourly billing is the exception, not the default. You always know the cost before work starts.

Typical timeline is 2–3 weeks from KYC kick-off to RCS registration, assuming standard documentation. Holding-company structures, foreign-shareholder identification or in-kind contributions can extend this — we flag the gating items at the first meeting.

Absolutely. We routinely coordinate with your in-house counsel, expert-comptable or notaire — pragmatic collaboration is the norm, not the exception. We send them everything they need to do their part without duplicating work.

Mariela Petrova

Mariela Petrova

Avocate au Barreau de Paris

Toque #C2396

15+ Years In Corporate Practice

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Communications protected by professional secrecy — secret professionnel de l'avocat, Article 66-5 of the Law of 31 December 1971.

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