FRANCE – PROJET DE LOI DE FINANCES 2026 : L’ASSEMBLÉE GÉNÉRALE VOTE POUR UNE RÉFORME MAJEURE DE L’EXIT TAX ET DES EXPATRIÉS FRANÇAIS

 

Projet de loi de finances 2026 : l’Assemblée nationale adopte une réforme majeure de l’Exit Tax

L’examen du projet de loi de finances pour 2026 introduit un changement significatif dans le régime de l’Exit tax, avec l’adoption de l’amendement n° I-807. Cette mesure modifie en profondeur l’article 167 bis du Code général des impôts et marque un tournant pour la fiscalité internationale, en particulier pour les contribuables envisageant une expatriation et détenant des plus-values latentes importantes.

L’Exit tax : définition et objectifs

L’Exit tax est un mécanisme permettant à la France d’imposer les plus-values latentes sur les titres détenus par un contribuable qui transfère son domicile fiscal à l’étranger. Le dispositif s’applique lorsque le contribuable détient soit plus de 800 000 € d’actifs financiers, soit plus de 50 % du capital d’une société.

Son objectif est d’éviter qu’un contribuable ne s’expatrie juste avant de vendre ses titres afin de bénéficier d’une fiscalité plus favorable hors de France. Il s’agit donc d’un outil central de lutte contre l’optimisation fiscale internationale liée aux départs à l’étranger.

Le régime actuel issu de la réforme de 2019

La loi de finances pour 2019 a profondément allégé l’Exit tax. Le délai de suivi fiscal a été réduit à deux ans pour les patrimoines inférieurs à 2,57 millions d’euros et à cinq ans pour les patrimoines supérieurs. Après ce délai, si aucun événement de cession n’est intervenu, l’impôt est automatiquement annulé.

Le sursis de paiement est également largement facilité, notamment pour les contribuables qui s’installent dans un État membre de l’Union européenne ou de l’Espace économique européen. Dans les faits, l’Exit tax ne s’applique presque plus, ce qui a réduit son efficacité dissuasive.

Ce que prévoit l’amendement I-807 du PLF 2026

L’amendement adopté vise à rétablir un dispositif plus strict, proche du régime antérieur à 2019.

Première mesure : le retour au délai de suivi de quinze ans. La France pourrait à nouveau imposer les plus-values latentes durant les quinze années suivant l’expatriation.

Deuxième mesure : le renforcement du sursis de paiement. Le texte prévoit un traitement différencié selon le pays d’installation :
– sursis automatique pour l’UE/EEE ;
– sursis sans garanties pour les pays disposant d’une convention d’assistance administrative et d’une convention d’assistance au recouvrement ;
– sursis soumis à garanties financières, voire refus, dans tous les autres cas.

Troisième mesure : un encadrement accru des opérations de restructuration, notamment les apports, échanges, fusions et autres réorganisations patrimoniales susceptibles de contourner la taxation.

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DIVIDENDES VERSÉS AUX EXPATS FRANÇAIS : LE NOUVEAU MÉCANISME FISCAL DE RETENUE À LA SOURCE SUR LES DIVIDENDES S’APPLIQUE AUX NON RÉSIDENTS DÈS LE 1ER JANVIER 2026

Dividendes versés aux non-résidents : le nouveau mécanisme fiscal qui s’applique dès le 1er janvier 2026

La loi de finances pour 2025 a introduit un changement majeur dans la fiscalité des dividendes versés par des sociétés françaises à des non-résidents.
Ce changement résulte de l’article 96, qui modifie profondément l’article 119 bis du Code général des impôts (le « CGI »).
À compter du 1er janvier 2026, le régime d’imposition des dividendes versés à l’étranger sera profondément différent.

De quoi s’agit il ?

Les dividendes distribués par une société française à un bénéficiaire qui n’est pas résident fiscal en France sont soumis, en principe, à une retenue à la source.

Cette retenue dépend de deux éléments :

  • le taux interne prévu par le CGI (12,8 % pour les personnes physiques, 25 % dans d’autres cas) ;
  • les conventions fiscales internationales, qui peuvent prévoir un taux réduit voire une exonération.

Que prévoyait le droit positif avant la réforme ?

Avant la loi de finances pour 2025 :

  • Si la convention prévoyait un taux réduit, la retenue était opérée directement au taux conventionnel.
  • Si la convention fiscale applicable prévoyait 0 %, la société française ne pratiquait aucune retenue à la source.

Autrement dit, l’exonération (ou la réduction) était immédiate, sans prélèvement préalable.

Ce système laissait toutefois la porte ouverte à des optimisations, notamment dans les schémas d’arbitrage de dividendes.

Ce que change l’article 96 : un renversement total du mécanisme

L’article 96 de la loi de finances pour 2025 modifie l’article 119 bis du CGI en introduisant une règle nouvelle : la retenue à la source est obligatoirement prélevée dès lors que le bénéficiaire effectif n’a pas son domicile fiscal en France.

La conséquence est simple et massive : la France prélève d’abord, vérifie ensuite.

Concrètement, un non-résident recevra ses dividendes après retenue de 12,8 % (personnes physiques) ou du taux applicable selon leur nature même si sa convention fiscale prévoit 0 % ou un taux inférieur.

La convention fiscale ne s’applique plus en amont, mais en aval, via une demande de remboursement à déposer après coup.

Ce mécanisme s’applique aux dividendes mis en paiement à compter du 1er janvier 2026.

Pourquoi ce changement ?

La réforme poursuit un objectif de sécurisation du recouvrement fiscal en percevant toujours la retenue, puis en procédant au remboursement a posteriori sous réserve que les conditions soient effectivement remplies.

Quels impacts concrets ?

–> Impact de trésorerie immédiat

Même si le contribuable étranger a droit à une exonération conventionnelle : 12,8 % seront prélevés au moment de la distribution, puis remboursés plusieurs mois plus tard.

Pour certains investisseurs ou holdings familiales, cela peut représenter des montants substantiels “bloqués” temporairement.

–> Une charge administrative plus lourde

Le non-résident devra : déposer une demande de remboursement, justifier sa résidence fiscale, prouver qu’il est le bénéficiaire effectif, et respecter des formalités précises et strictes.

–> Un renforcement de la lutte anti-abus

Les schémas d’arbitrage de dividendes qui reposaient souvent sur l’application immédiate de taux réduits ou nuls, deviennent beaucoup plus difficiles car tout versement supporte un prélèvement et que la charge de la preuve pèse sur le bénéficiaire effectif réel.

–>  Une sécurisation du recouvrement fiscal

La réforme poursuit un objectif de sécurisation du recouvrement fiscal en percevant toujours la retenue, puis en procédant au remboursement a posteriori sous réserve que les conditions soient effectivement remplies.

Un exemple très simple

Avant la réforme : Une société française verse 100 000 € de dividendes à un résident luxembourgeois ou des Emirats. La convention France–Luxembourg et France-Emirats prévoit 0 %.

-) Retenue appliquée : 0 €
-) Montant versé : 100 000 €

Après la réforme (à partir du 1er janvier 2026)

Même situation : résident luxembourgeois, convention à 0 %.

-) Retenue appliquée immédiatement : 12,8 % = 12 800 €
-) Montant versé : 87 200 €

Le bénéficiaire devra ensuite déposer une demande pour être remboursé de 12 800 € (et notamment remplir et faire tamponner ses formulaires 5000/5001/5002 par les autorités fiscales locales).

Conclusion

L’article 96 de la loi de finances pour 2025 marque un tournant important dans la fiscalité des dividendes versés aux non-résidents.

Là où l’exonération conventionnelle permettait une absence totale d’imposition immédiate,
la France applique désormais une retenue automatique de 12,8 %,
avec un remboursement éventuel à la demande du contribuable.

La mesure, applicable dès le 1er janvier 2026, aura un impact concret pour les investisseurs internationaux, les groupes transfrontaliers et les contribuables expatriés.

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FOCUS ON THE COUNCIL OF STATE RULING OF MARCH 20, 2023, WHICH REITERATES THE LEGAL VALUE OF BILATERAL TAX TREATIES UNDER FRENCH DOMESTIC LAW & WHICH SHOULD REASSURE NON-RESIDENT FRENCH EXPATRIATES OR FUTURE EXPATRIATES

Council of State

When you are considered a French tax resident, you are required to report all your income to the French tax authorities, regardless of where you earned it. So, if you receive income from abroad, you are obliged to declare this income to the French tax authorities.

If you do so, you may be subject to double taxation. The double taxation mechanism means that French tax residents are taxed twice. Income could therefore be taxed in two countries at the same time. This situation arises when an individual or a company is located in two different countries that have not signed a tax treaty with each other.

In this case, a treaty between the government of the French Republic and the government of the United Arab Emirates (“UAE“) for the avoidance of double taxation was signed on 19 July 1989 and amended by an addendum dated 6 December 1993 (the “France-Emirates Tax Treaty“).

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FOCUS ON THE COUNCIL OF STATE'S JUDGMENT OF MARCH 20, 2023 REMINDING THE LEGAL VALUE OF BILATERAL TAX CONVENTIONS ON FRENCH DOMESTIC LAW & WHICH SHOULD REASSURANCE NON-RESIDENT FRENCH EXPATRIATES OR FUTURE EXPATRIATES

Conseil d'Etat

When you are considered a French tax resident, you are required to report all of your income to the French tax authorities, regardless of where you earned it. Therefore, if you receive income from abroad, you are required to declare this income to the French tax authorities.

In such a case, you could potentially face double taxation. The double taxation mechanism means that the French tax resident is taxed twice. Income could therefore be taxed in two countries at the same time. This situation arises when the individual or a company is located in two separate countries that have not concluded a tax treaty with each other.

In this case, an agreement between the government of the French Republic and the government of the United Arab Emirates (" WATER "), with a view to avoiding double taxation, was signed on July 19, 1989 and amended by an amendment dated December 6, 1993 (the " France-Emirates Tax Convention ").

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THE EXIT TAX OR WHEN FRENCH EXPATRIATES FROM THE EMIRATES ARE IN THE SIGHTS OF THE FRENCH TAX AUTHORITIES

Exit Tax picture

Germany announced last February that it had purchased tax data on millions of people living in Dubai.

Questioned by Les Echos, the Directorate General of Public Finance confirmed that the sharing of this data with the French tax authorities has already taken place.

The French authorities are therefore now seeking to get their hands on possible fraudsters in these data and the presence of “undeclared income” and “unknown possessions” of people wishing to avoid taxation in their country. In particular, the aim is to verify whether French entrepreneurs who have gone to Dubai have paid the “exit tax” which affects unrealized capital gains realized in France and abroad (1).

This article will retrace the contours of the concept of exit tax in order to inform French expatriates residing in Dubai on their compliance or not with French tax law due to their change of tax residence from France to the Emirates.

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SARL – SCI – LMNP

When you become the owner of a property in France, especially when you are not a tax resident in France, you sooner or later ask yourself the question of the taxation of this property and of inheritance. This raises the question of choosing the appropriate structure to manage the rental of a property as a family, and several options are available depending on the inheritance/tax angle you wish to prioritize.

The choice for one option rather than another will be made in particular according to the objective pursued.

What are the objects and conditions specific to the structures that can be considered?

There Non-professional furnished rental (LMNP) as for it, allows you to receive additional income from real estate while having a non-professional status.

The accommodation concerned by the rental must be furnished and the income generated cannot exceed 23,000 euros per year, nor represent more than 50% of the total income (unless non-resident) to retain LMNP status.

There Family LLC allows you to make profits while benefiting from reduced taxation. This structure is particularly recommended if the financial risk is high since the liability of the partners is limited to the amount of their contribution (in fact, the family SARL is above all an SARL).

In addition to meeting the conditions for setting up a traditional SARL, it must be made up of partners with a direct or collateral family relationship up to the second degree or through marriage.

Finally, the Family SCI is recommended with the aim of preserving and transmitting heritage from generation to generation.

The company must necessarily have a real estate activity as its corporate purpose (as for classic SCIs) and must be made up of members of the same family up to the fourth degree.

Let's look point by point at the conditions, advantages and disadvantages of these different structures which at first glance are similar but which in reality have many differences.

What are the main advantages of these structures?

– FROM A TAX POINT OF VIEW

SARL SCI LMNP

Choice of taxation method

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HOW TO IMMIGRATE TO CANADA AS A WORKER?

  THE Canada is one of the most sought-after countries for immigration, for several reasons: high-quality education, universal healthcare, employment opportunities, cultural and religious diversity, etc. 

As a worker and depending on your current situation, you have different options for immigrating to Canada.[1].
So, in this article, we will go back point by point over the different opportunities available to you as a worker.[2].

We will first examine federal immigration programs, namely Express Entry, the program for self-employed workers, and the business start-up visa program. These programs will allow you to immigrate to all provinces except Quebec. (I).

Then, we will discuss the programs created for young people, namely the Working Holiday Permit and the Young Professionals permit, which allow immigration more easily than other programs, from anywhere in Canada, including Quebec (II).

Finally, the programs specific to the province of Quebec will be addressed, namely the Quebec program for permanent workers, for temporary workers and for business people (III).

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WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES BY INTRODUCING A CORPORATE TAX IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES?

By introducing a corporate tax, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)/Dubai reaffirmed its commitment to international standards of tax transparency and the prevention of harmful tax practices.

This corporate tax, which came into force on June 1, 2023, is governed by Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 on the Taxation of Corporations and Businesses (https://mof.gov.ae/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Federal-Decree-Law-No.-47-of-2022-EN.pdf), (“Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022“).

Taxable companies will now have to register for corporate tax (https://tax.gov.ae/en/services/corporate.tax.registration.aspx) and obtain a corporate tax registration number from the Federal Tax Authority, which is the competent authority for corporate tax matters.

The corporate tax return must be filed for each tax period within 9 months of the end of the tax period.

As regards the rate applicable to this new tax, taxable income over 375,000 AED will be taxed at a rate of 9%, while income below this threshold will be taxed at a rate of 0% (Article 3 of the law).

On reading this Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 (1.), we understand that its scope is quite wide without being absolute, which will have the effect of subjecting a certain number of people to the tax (1.a), while providing for exemptions under some conditions (1.b).

Furthermore, although taxable income (2.) is numerous, due to the duality of the criteria for determining such income(2.a), Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 provides for the deductibility of some expenses, which will have the effect of reducing taxation (2.b).

1.Scope of application of Federal Decree-law No. 47 of 2022

Although the law applies to a wide range of individuals and companies (has), its scope is not absolute, as exemptions are provided (b).

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SARL I SCI I LMNP

When you become the owner of a property in France, and even more so when you're not a French tax resident, sooner or later you're faced with the question of taxation and inheritance. This raises the question of choosing the appropriate structure to manage the rental property as a family, and there are several options, depending on the inheritance/tax angle you wish to pursue.

The choice of one option over another will depend on the objective pursued.

 What are the purposes and conditions of each structure?

 LMNP (non-professional furnished rental) let you earn additional income from real estate in a non-professional capacity.

To qualify for LMNP status, the property must be furnished, and the income generated must not exceed 23,000 euros per year, nor represent more than 50% of total income (unless you are a non-resident).

The family SARL allows you to make a profit while benefiting from lower taxes. This structure is particularly recommended if the financial risk is high, as the liability of the partners is limited to the amount of their contribution (the family SARL is first and foremost an SARL).

In addition to meeting the same requirements as a conventional SARL, it must be made up of partners who are directly related or collaterally related up to the second degree, or by marriage.

 Finally, the family SCI is recommended for the purpose of preserving and passing on assets from generation to generation.

The company's corporate purpose must be real estate (as with traditional SCIs), and it must be made up of family members up to the fourth degree.

Let's take a step-by-step look at the conditions, advantages, and disadvantages of these different structures, which at first glance appear similar but in reality have many differences.

What are the main advantages of these structures?

 – FROM A TAX PERSPECTIVE

Choice of taxation method  

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WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF INTRODUCING A CORPORATE TAX IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES?

By introducing a corporate tax, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) wanted in particular to reaffirm its commitment to respecting international standards in terms of tax transparency and the prevention of harmful tax practices.

Impôt entreprise

This corporate tax, which came into effect on June 1, 2023, is governed by the Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022 on the Taxation of Corporations and Businesses (https://mof.gov.ae/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Federal-Decree-Law-No.-47-of-2022-EN.pdf).

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