Labour-Plaid spent £770,000 promoting a business support scheme during the year before it was abolished.
Nearly £90,000 of that was wasted on branding and advertising while a consultation on its future was taking place earlier this year.
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Assembly, Nick Bourne AM, has revealed the figure during First Minister’s Questions.
The Flexible Support for Business brand was scrapped during the summer.
Mr Bourne said: “To spend this amount of money promoting a scheme that was abolished shortly afterwards is severely excessive.
“The total figure of three quarters of a million pounds covers creative, branding and advertising during 2009/10 and 2010/11.
“While this is concerning enough, the fact that £89, 130 was wasted on promotion during this financial year, while a consultation on the scheme’s future was ongoing, is unforgivably wasteful.
“Does the First Minister agree that this money should have been put towards helpful measures such as rate cuts, instead of logos and newspaper adverts for a brand that was about to be abolished?
“This is another symptom of Labour-Plaid’s lack of direction on business support.
“It is still not clear how businesses outside the Economic Renewal Programme’s six key sectors can get help from the business support budget for example.
“Even the Federation of Small Businesses described the government’s approach as ‘breathtakingly arrogant’ and ‘immature’.
“Welsh business deserves better.”
