The minimum wage last year increased by an average of €2 per month against an average of €17 a month between 2008 and 2014, the Nationalist Party said.

In a statement, shadow ministers for finance and social policy Mario de Marco and Paula Mifsud Bonnici said this meant that for the approximately 10,000 people earning a minimum wage, their revenue over the past year decreased substantially. 

This was because the government had introduced or raised a number of taxes and fees, including those on housing, Matsec examinations, mobile phones, insurance, car licenses, and court fees, among others.

This was apart from the fact that Maltese families had been paying among the highest prices in Europe for diesel and petrol.

The shadow ministers said the welcomed growth in the economy was not necessarily reflecting in an increase in salaries and disposable income. 

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