For the startups: Don't think so. Corporations need to generate profits to pay taxes. ;) The personal income taxes apply though. The other huge problem with F

For the startups: Don't think so. Corporations need to generate profits to pay taxes. ;) The personal income taxes apply though. The other huge problem with France (and Europe in general) is the problem that you can't fire bad/unneeded employees easily. Continental Europe is a bad environment for young companies that need to be agile. Too much red tape and regulation. And when you survive all that, the state is going to take most of your profits as taxes and compulsory social contributions (and compulsory non-social contributions cough German IHK cough). EU countries can come up with as many visa and incubator schemes as they like. But they won't attract many entrepreneurs. Because if I'm an entrepreneur in the position to start a business in another country then I'm going to choose the best one: The USA. (I'm an European just btw.)