How was the CSG project, a major priority on the Rocard government's political agenda, constructed as a political event? Drawing upon empirical data from the Prime Minister's information and publicity service, it is possible to analyse the process of composition and recomposition of this event. Alongside saturating events such as the Gulf crisis and, to a lesser extent, the «high school and suburban crisis», the controversial CSG, in its construction as an event, relied essentially on the government's definition of the political situation. The frames of interpretation applied to the CSG by the media were aimed at reducing the controversy in terms of political tactics and parliamentary games, while the object itself presented specific difficulties of interpretation. * Contribution Sociale Généralisée: a tax designed to contribute towards keeping the French social security system afloat.