Subsection 1: General provisions.

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Article L2334-5

French General Code of Local AuthoritiesIn force

Updated 7 Nov 2023

The tax effort of each commune is equal to the ratio between:


1° The revenue received by the municipality the previous year in respect of property tax on non-built properties, council tax on second homes and other furnished premises not allocated to the main dwelling and property tax on built properties, excluding the compensation mentioned in c of 1° and b of 2° of C of IV of Article 16 of Finance Act no. 2019-1479 for 2020;


> 2° The sum of:



a) The proceeds determined by applying the average national municipal tax rate for each of these taxes to the municipal bases for council tax on second homes and other furnished premises not used as a main residence and to the municipal bases for property tax on non-built-up properties;


b) The proceeds determined by applying the average national municipal tax rate for each of these taxes to the municipal bases for council tax on second homes and other furnished premises not used as a main residence and to the municipal bases for property tax on non-built-up properties c) The product determined by applying the difference between the average national communal tax rate for this tax and the sum of the communal and departmental rates for property tax on built-up properties applied on the territory of the commune in 2020 to the communal tax bases for property tax on built-up properties. The weighted average rate for a commune is equal to the ratio between the sum of the income from the three direct local taxes calculated in accordance with 1° of this article and the sum of the net communal tax bases for property tax and council tax.


For municipalities for which the increase in the weighted average rate is greater than the increase in the weighted average rate for all municipalities belonging to the same demographic group, the latter increase is taken into account when calculating the tax revenue mentioned in the same 1°.



For municipalities for which the weighted average rate is lower than that of the previous year, it is the latter rate that is taken into account to determine the tax revenue referred to in the aforementioned 1°.



The tax bases used are the gross tax bases for the last year for which the results are known, and are used as the basis for municipal taxation. The average national rates used are those recorded in the last year for which the results are known. The resources and income used are those of the last year for which the results are known. For communes that are members of the Lyon metropolis, the departmental property tax rate for built-up properties refers to the property tax rate for built-up properties adopted in 2014 by the Rhône department.

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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