An anti-tax lobby group is taking aim at the expense claims that New Brunswick provincial cabinet ministers can collect, focusing on the per diems given to ministers while they're working at the legislature or in their ridings.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation, a non-profit group, was in Fredericton Wednesday to talk about the province's MLA pension plan.

But, Atlantic director Kevin Lacey also raised the issue of ministerial per diems.

"Government ministers receive $43 per diem for every day worked, and $23 for every day in the riding, which can only be described as `show up for work' pay," Lacey said.

Those payments are separate from accommodation allowances paid to ministers to cover the expense of being away from home for work.

In fact, Lacey said records show that Liberal cabinet minister Kelly Lamrock, a Fredericton MLA, claimed $833 in per diems from April to June of this year.

Lamrock refused to be interviewed on the subject, saying the federation is a Tory front group.

But Fredericton MLA and cabinet minister Greg Byrne defended the per diems — even for MLAs whose travel between Fredericton and their ridings is a five-minute drive.

"Even on days where ministers may take some time to meet with constituents, throughout that day they would be engaged in ministerial work as well," he said.

The taxpayers federation said the per diems should be eliminated and replaced with expense claims requiring receipts.

The federation also said that MLA pensions are costing New Brunswick taxpayers about $7.5 million a year.

For every $1 contributed by politicians, it said that taxpayers are kicking in $16 to the MLA pension fund.

"Right now MLA entitlements are costing taxpayers millions. We believe that with the province facing a huge deficit, now is no the time to be paying huge entitlement benefits to our politicians," Lacey said. "Instead they should set an example of fiscal restraint."

Lacey recommends replacing the current MLA pension program with an RRSP style system, in which taxpayers' contribution equals what MLAs put in.

The Liberals and Progressive Conservative MLAs boosted their pension funds two years ago by replacing tax-free allowances with bigger pensionable salaries.