Tobacco firm Korber 'flew Rudd first class' Kevin Rudd, then the foreign affairs minister, attending the 60 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Germany and Australia reception in Canberra last year. THE Opposition is demanding Prime Minister Kevin Rudd explain why he travelled first class to Europe courtesy of a major tobacco firm. The government has announced it will raise the tax on cigarettes by 12.5 per cent every year for the next four years, raising $5.3 billion in revenue. Smokers' coffers- Tax to earn $5.3b Labor has also used the opportunity to blast the Coalition for "being in the pockets of big tobacco" by accepting donations from cigarette companies. But the Coalition is trying to shift the focus to Labor, alleging the prime minister accepted a first-class trip to Germany, funded by a tobacco company, last year. Smoking is the shock new political battleground Senior Liberal Greg Hunt said the Korber Foundation was responsible for manufacturing cigarettes, and questioned why Mr Rudd travelled to Berlin as a backbencher courtesy of the major firm. "Here is Mr Rudd preening around, as usual, pretending to have some moral position," Mr Hunt told Sky News. He personally took two first-class flights to Berlin, stayed in a swank luxurious hotel, courtesy of belly of the beast, the heart of the tobacco industry. He demanded the Prime Minister explain his justifications for the trip, and whether he thought it was acceptable. Way cleared for election date call Mr Rudd declared the trip in his register of interest, listing "flights and hospitality" to Berlin, funded by the Korber Foundation. The trip, taken in October, included two nights accommodation and a return airfare to Australia. Korber's founding company is Hauni, a leading supplier to the global tobacco industry that processes and manufactures cigarettes and filters.