On Tuesday, Monti's government launched "Operation Transparency" posting the Italian ministers' salaries and assets online in an effort to boost transparency amid a crackdown on tax evasion and set an example.
The publication of the data attracted a record number of visitors to the government's website, causing technical difficulties, and became the central topic of several TV and radio talk shows.
Lawyer and current Minister of Justice, Paola Severino, and Minister for Economic Development and Infrastructure, Corrado Passera, were the Italian government's top earner last year.
Minister Severino earned 7,005,649 euro in 2010 as a lawyer, paying four million in taxes, while as a minister she will receive 195,255.20 euro this year.
Minister Passera made 3.5 million euros and paid the state 1.4 million euros in taxes as chief executive officer of Italy's second-biggest bank Intesa SanPaolo, before resigning to take on the job of minister which will earn him 220,000 euros.
Justice Minister Severino said that those who earn and pay their taxes must be looked at with kindness and not envy. She told reporters that "The most important thing is explaining that those who earn and pay their taxes must be judged positively, while those who generate off-the-books income must be judged negatively".
