Free entry to museums 'by December'

Imperial War Museum: Should be free by end of 2001

All the major galleries and museums in Britain are set to be free to all from December, the government has announced.

The move follows the publication of treasury guidelines on Value Added Tax (VAT) relief.

The V&A: Also affected by the tax changes

The guidelines clarify how collections can continue to get VAT relief despite abolishing admission charges - a problem which had delayed an earlier resolution.

In a statement, 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."

Incentive

Museums such as the Victoria & Albert, the Imperial War Museum and the National Maritime Museum - which currently charge entrance fees - are now expected to waive the admission charges by the end of this year.

Currently all national collections are free to children and OAPs - but the original VAT regulations gave museums an incentive to charge for entry.

This was because organisations whose activities are undertaken for no charge are not deemed to be "in business" and therefore cannot recover VAT they have paid.

A spokesman for the Department of Culture Media and Sport told BBC News Online: "There's no reason why any museum should charge now that the relevant VAT rules have changed.

"We certainly hope that our national galleries and museums will all be free from December."