This article analyses how local governments can use a land value capture instrument to support their land development and planning policy in addition to their financial objectives, focusing on the French ‘development tax’ in a real-estate development project in Bordeaux. It compares the legal framework of the development tax with the practice of public and private negotiation. The case study concludes that tax decisions leave unforeseen room for trade-offs between fiscal objectives and the business models of private developers via adjustments to the tax rate, building rights and facilities planning. The tax decision can help drive socio-spatial development and generate collective benefits.