The Metropolitan Museum of Art will start charging $25 for out-of-state residents in March, announced the museum Thursday.
Despite the lofty voluntary donations, benefactor gifts and $26 million in taxpayers money to the museum, officials say that this prestigious museum is still not generating enough money. Officials predict the new policy of forcing out-of-state residents to shell out $25 for admission will increase revenue to $6-11 million in a year, reported The New York Post.
The Met previously suggested a $25 donation with a pay-what-you-wish policy for people with a New York ID, according to their website. In the past 13 years, the percent of visitors who actually shelled out the suggested $25 plummeted from 63 percent to 17 percent.
“A healthy Metropolitan Museum of Art is extremely important for New York City,” said Tom Finkelpearl, the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner, adding that it is the “heart and soul of New York City.”
The suggested donation policy was in place since 1970.
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