Assistant editor, BBC Wales News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The Welsh government has rejected calls to exclude under-18s from plans for a \u00a31.25 per night tourism tax.<\/p>\n Under the proposal, guests would pay the fee at hotels, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation. At hostels and campsites it would be 75p.<\/p>\n Councils would decide whether to introduce the fee if a new law is passed by the Senedd with charges possibly starting in 2027.<\/p>\n Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said exempting children from the visitor levy would see a “significant fall” in revenue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Drakeford was giving evidence to the Senedd’s finance committee on the Visitor Accommodation Bill.<\/p>\n Questioned by chairman Peredur Owen Griffith, he told the committee the charge was “less than the cost of a cup of coffee”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He said: “I see that you have heard from a range of voices who argue that particular groups ought to be excluded from the levy.<\/p>\n “I’ve said to you from the very beginning that this is a broad-based tax with a low charge, at the low end of what you’ll find anywhere else.<\/p>\n “If you narrow the base, the only way you can sustain the take from the tax is to put the charge up.”<\/p>\n The Welsh government said money raised would help fund services in tourism hotspots, but critics believe it will deter visitors.<\/p>\n The Welsh Conservatives said ministers should be nurturing the tourism sector “not hammering it with new taxes”.<\/p>\n The plans require legislation to be passed by the Welsh Parliament.<\/p>\n If that happens, officials think April 2027 is the earliest date the tax could be levied.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Councils could charge more in future if they go through a consultation process and give 12 months’ notice.<\/p>\n Not all councils are expected to introduce the charge, but if they did it would raise about \u00a333m a year.<\/p>\n Stays of more than 31 nights will not be taxed. Neither will people forced into temporary accommodation or people in homeless hostels have to pay.<\/p>\n Officials have previously said they wanted the tax to be simple to understand, so the same rate will be paid for adults and children.<\/p>\n Some tourism operators have criticised the plans saying they could deter people from visiting Wales.<\/p>\n Other groups, including the scouts, are concerned about the impact it could have on children holidaying in Wales.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/ac10\/live\/5ccea000-e977-11ef-bd1b-d536627785f2.jpg.webp\")
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