The French president has said his government will eliminate a local business tax in 2010 and is ready to consider cutting income tax in an effort to temper the impact of the global economic crisis.

Looking to defuse public anger over the slowdown, Nicolas Sarkozy said on Thursday that he would meet union leaders on February 18 to discuss a range of measures to help French residents, and called on companies to give workers a larger share of their profits.

In an effort to convince companies to remain in France and not relocate to cheaper labour markets, Sarkozy promised to end the business tax known as the “taxe professionnelle” next year at a cost of $10.25bn, “to keep factories in France”.

The students had tried to force their way into the University of Strasbourg in eastern France and threw eggs and shoes at the facade of the new complex.

Source: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/02/20092523455826443.html