Free Museums
Aug 9, 2001, 3:00 pm
#1
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Join Date: May 2001
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Free Museums
LONDON (Reuters) -- All of Britain's major museums and galleries are to be open free of charge from December, the government said on Thursday.
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.
"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.
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.
"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.
Aug 10, 2001, 1:07 am
#2
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 61
yes and about time too.
Good for London, not so good for other places of interest.
Can recommend joining the National Trust www.nationaltrust.org.uk for some excellent properties. Chartwell (home of Sir Winston Churchill highly recommended).
The student / young person membership is exceptional value for money.
I think their is a sister organisation in the US that enables US residents to claim some of the cost of membership back through their tax as it is a charitable donation but I could be wrong.
Good for London, not so good for other places of interest.
Can recommend joining the National Trust www.nationaltrust.org.uk for some excellent properties. Chartwell (home of Sir Winston Churchill highly recommended).
The student / young person membership is exceptional value for money.
I think their is a sister organisation in the US that enables US residents to claim some of the cost of membership back through their tax as it is a charitable donation but I could be wrong.