2: Determination of taxable profits

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Article 38 bis

French General Tax CodeIn force

Updated 8 Nov 2023

I. - 1. Financial securities lent by a company are taken in priority from securities of the same nature acquired or subscribed to at the most recent date.

The claim representing the financial securities lent is recorded separately in the balance sheet at the original value of these securities.

At the end of the loan, the financial securities returned are recorded in the balance sheet at this same value.

2. The remuneration allocated in return for the securities loan constitutes debt income. Where the lending period covers the date of payment of the income attached to the securities lent, the amount of the remuneration may not be less than the value of the income waived by the lender. The portion of the remuneration corresponding to this income is subject to the same tax treatment as the income from the securities loaned.

II. - 1. The financial securities borrowed and the debt representing the obligation to return these securities are recorded separately on the borrower's balance sheet at the market price on the day of the loan.

At the close of the financial year, the financial securities borrowed which appear on the borrower's balance sheet and the debt representing the obligation to repay which results from the contracts in progress are recorded at the price that these securities have on the market on that date.

The financial securities borrowed are deemed to be repaid at the value for which the debt representing the obligation to repay appears on the balance sheet.

1 bis. Borrowed securities may be the subject of a loan. In this case, the debt representing the securities referred to in 1 must be entered in the balance sheet at the price that these securities have on the market on the date of the new loan.At the close of the financial year, this debt must be valued at the price of the securities on that date. When they are returned, the borrowed securities that were the subject of a loan are taken back for the value of the receivable on that date and are then valued in accordance with the procedures set out in 1 until they are sold or returned to the original lender.

2. When the borrower disposes of financial securities, these are taken in priority from securities of the same nature borrowed on the earliest date. Subsequent purchases of securities of the same type are allocated by priority to the replacement of the securities borrowed.

II bis. - (repealed)

III. - 1. If the loaned securities are not returned, from a tax point of view they are sold on the date of default.

2. For the purposes of Article 39 duodecies, the loaned securities are deemed to have been held until the date of the loan.

Mariela Petrova

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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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