Yes because...

Museums preserve and display our artistic, social, scientific and

political heritage. Everyone shou...
Museums preserve and display our artistic, social, scientific and political heritage.
Everyone should have access to such important cultural resources as part of active
citizenship, and because of the educational opportunities they offer to people of every
age. If museums are not funded sufficiently by the government, they will be forced to
charge for entry, and this will inevitably deter many potential visitors, especially the poor
and those whose educational and cultural opportunities have already been limited.
Visitors to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London declined by 15% after it started
charging for admission. Free access is essential to provide freedom of cultural and
educational opportunity.
No because...
Not everyone wishes to visit museums, which are essentially a form of entertainment for
the middle classes and tourists. The majority of adults never visit a museum, preferring
instead leisure pursuits such as football, the cinema or clubbing. Why should they have
to pay for their chosen entertainment while subsidising the generally wealthier middle
class through their taxes? Tourists pay no taxes here and so gain a free ride at the
expense of domestic taxpayers. The state provides educational opportunities for all
through free schooling, which often includes free museum trips. If free museum entry
were considered a cultural right, shouldn’t the state make theatre tickets free as well?