Taxpayers will be forking out over €4 million extra this legislature to pay for a raise politicians gave themselves in May 2008 but only disclosed this week.

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech confirmed in Parliament that the Cabinet had allowed themselves to keep their salary as MPs apart from the one they get for their jobs as ministers or parliamentary secretaries.

He also said the standard salary of all 69 MPs, which stands at €19,112, had been upped by 20 per cent, to reach €26,771.

Moreover, he pointed out the increases were decided on in May 2008 and were backdated to March of that same year.

However, the news was not made public until Mr Fenech answered a parliamentary question by Labour MP Leo Brincat about the controversial raise reported to have been granted to ministers.

In Parliament, Mr Fenech gave the official reason for allowing ministers to also get their salary as MPs. While backbenchers got to keep their private jobs, members of the Cabinet had to give up their private practice, he said.

But Mr Fenech went a step further, surprising the House, especially Labour MPs, by saying they too would be receiving €7,649 extra a year, thanks to the increase in “honoraria”. The reason Labour MPs had not been aware of this raise was because, according to Mr Fenech, it “is still in the process of implementation”.

He explained that, besides ministers and parliamentary secretaries, the Speaker, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition would also retain their salary as MPs. They will, therefore, be given an extra €26,771 each, totalling €428,344, adding up to €2,141,720 over five years.

Labour Party in office ‘would drop increases’

The other 53 MPs will together cost the tax payer an extra €405,397 a year, adding up to €2,026,985.

In all, this means €4,168,705 extra will be taken out of public coffers this legislature – over and above the usual salaries given to parliamentarians and Cabinet members.

Mr Fenech pointed out the Speaker would only have to renounce his MPs salary if he opted to keep a private job because the office enjoyed such an option.

Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat recently said a Labour government would drop the increases given to to ministers and parliamentary secretaries once elected.

But when asked whether the MPs would accept the increase, a Labour spokesman pointed out the party only got to know about the backdated salaries through the parliamentary question and the issue would have to be discussed.