Met Museum eyes making tourists pay

TALK ABOUT a tourist tax.

Out-of-town art lovers could be soon be forced to shell out money to walk the storied halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Met is in talks with the city regarding the admission, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Under an 1893 law, the museum was barred from charging admission in exchange for state funding.

The public institution now advertises a “suggested” $25 entrance fee.

The Met is grappling with a budget deficit of about $15 million that has led to a rash of cost-cutting moves, including trimming staff and reducing the number of annual exhibitions, according to The Times.

“We are very pleased to be working with Mayor de Blasio and his team,” Daniel Weiss, the Met’s president and its acting chief executive, said. “This is a strong partnership. They want what’s best for the city and the museum, as do we.” De Blasio said charging nonNew Yorkers would be “fair.”