1. Civil services Study material for Civil services • The December 28 decision by the French constitutional court, the ConseilConstitutional, that President Francois Holland’s showpiece 75 per cent income tax for high earners is unfair and therefore unconstitutional may look like a severe political setback, but when examined more closely turns out not to be quite that. • The court rejected the tax, which would have affected all with an annual income above €one million, because French income tax is levied on households an not individuals, so it would not apply, for example, to a couple each of whom earns €900,000 but would apply to any individual earning a million euros or more. • Only about 1,500 people would have had to pay the new rate, which was expected to raise €500 million in a crucial contribution to Mr. Hollande’s plans to reduce the budget deficit to 3 per cent of GDP by 2014.