Cyclic Hotline
9th Aug 2001, 20:15
What a jolly civilised change! As an avid visitor to any museum anywhere, I greatly appreciate this move.
Museums provide the opportunity for each and every generation to examine where they came from, and how they got there. I honestly cannot recall a Museum anywhere in the World, that I have visited and not found an enriching and enlightning experience.
Thank You, whoever came up with this idea...
Now all of you. Go back and visit all those amazing places again!
Top museums to scrap entrance fees
LONDON (Reuters) - All of Britain's major museums and galleries are to be open free of charge from December, the government has said.
Ministers have paved the way for a multimillion pound windfall for museums by drawing up new rules allowing them to reclaim value-added tax relief -- thus removing an incentive for them to charge visitors.
"Free access to our national museums and galleries is one of the 25 steps to a better Britain that the government has promised to deliver," Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said on Thursday.
"As part of our commitment to strengthen the role of the arts in our national life, we want everyone to be able to enjoy the great collections in our national museums and galleries for free," she said in a statement.
Museums such as the Victoria & Albert, the Imperial War Museum and the National Maritime Museum which currently charge entrance fees are expected to waive the fees as early as December.
Other major attractions such as the National Gallery and the British Museum are already free. They will also benefit from the change to the VAT rules by being able to claim a refund.
Museums provide the opportunity for each and every generation to examine where they came from, and how they got there. I honestly cannot recall a Museum anywhere in the World, that I have visited and not found an enriching and enlightning experience.
Thank You, whoever came up with this idea...
Now all of you. Go back and visit all those amazing places again!
Top museums to scrap entrance fees
LONDON (Reuters) - All of Britain's major museums and galleries are to be open free of charge from December, the government has said.
Ministers have paved the way for a multimillion pound windfall for museums by drawing up new rules allowing them to reclaim value-added tax relief -- thus removing an incentive for them to charge visitors.
"Free access to our national museums and galleries is one of the 25 steps to a better Britain that the government has promised to deliver," Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said on Thursday.
"As part of our commitment to strengthen the role of the arts in our national life, we want everyone to be able to enjoy the great collections in our national museums and galleries for free," she said in a statement.
Museums such as the Victoria & Albert, the Imperial War Museum and the National Maritime Museum which currently charge entrance fees are expected to waive the fees as early as December.
Other major attractions such as the National Gallery and the British Museum are already free. They will also benefit from the change to the VAT rules by being able to claim a refund.