The cost of the Government's anti-discrimination watchdog has ballooned by £22.5million in a year to an eye-watering £70million.
Salaries for bureaucrats at the Equality and Human Rights Commission have also soared by an inflation-defying 25 per cent.
Staff received an average increase of around £9,000, taking their average salary to £45,920.
The soaring costs to taxpayers of the Government quango were revealed by research from the Conservatives.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission was formed by merging the Equal Opportunities Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality and the Disability Rights Commission in October 2007.
In 2008-09 - its first full year of operation - it was given a £70million budget.
The total budget for the three groups it replaced for their last full year in existence was £47.5million.
Figures obtained by the Tories also reveal that nearly £ 2million was spent on consultancy fees in preparation for the merger.
'This is truly shocking,' said Tory communities spokesman Paul Goodman.
'These figures reveal how Labour's bloated quangos are simply failing to use taxpayers' money efficiently, especially at these difficult times.'
He added: 'How is it possible that you can bring three separate organisations together and yet have a higher wage bill than before?'
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