21% discount for the visitor instead of 21% VAT
The new cabinet wants to increase VAT on culture. For example, the tax for books and performing arts, but also for a museum visit, will increase from 9 to 21%. Twenty-one percent is a lot and makes the threshold for a museum visit higher for many people. To draw attention to this, the Wereldmuseum is offering a 21% discount on the entrance fee for a week at its three locations – Amsterdam, Leiden, Rotterdam. The campaign starts on Budget Day, when the million dollar bill is presented.
In the spring, the Museum Association presented research into the social impact of museums: 73% of Dutch people experience museums as indispensable and 85% believe that museums belong to and for all of us. Among respondents who had not visited a museum the year before, the entrance fee was the main reason for not going. The respondents indicated that they see an important role for the government in keeping museums accessible. It is also striking that the current VAT rate of 9% is already high compared to the VAT rates that countries around us apply for culture.
Marieke van Bommel, general director of Wereldmuseum says: “People come to our museum to enjoy art and culture and to broaden their views. Everyone, from the individual visitor to the schools and institutions, leaves our museum with a broader understanding of how we as people relate to each other and to the world. That may be more important than ever. And it should not become something that only a select group of people have access to. We therefore strive to make our activities available to the widest possible target group. We do this, among other things, by keeping our entrance fee as low as possible.”
The Wereldmuseum’s 21% discount promotion applies at all locations – Amsterdam, Leiden and Rotterdam – from Tuesday, September 17 (Prince’s Day) to Sunday, September 22.
Wereldmuseum Amsterdam, Linnaeusstraat 2