Lederhosen Subsidies Axed as Germany Tightens Belt

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany can no longer afford state aid to help its yodellers buy Lederhosen, the Bavarian government said Tuesday in a sign of how drastically public finances have deteriorated in Europe's largest economy.

"We no longer want to sponsor the Lederhosen with subsidies," Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber said, ignoring outcries from traditional folk groups, some of whom have threatened to boycott the opening parade of the Munich Oktoberfest, the world's biggest beer festival.

The Alpine state had previously provided the 300,000 members of its folklore groups with half a million euros in state funds to help buy traditional Bavarian attire such as the leather shorts -- amounting, one newspaper said, to a subsidy of 13 percent per garment.

But even Bavaria, one of Germany's richest states, is under pressure to curb government spending after years of slow economic growth.

A good pair of goat suede leather Lederhosen will set you back 149.90 euros ($185).