Chris Barrett, president and CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau, submitted a letter to Lower Towamensing Township supervisors on behalf of the visitors bureau and the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association expressing concern over the proposed amusement tax.

Barrett said the tax could negatively affect the township’s hospitality industry, noting tourism is the No. 1 industry in Carbon County and the Pocono Mountains, accounting for 38% of employment and 40% of labor income, with a total annual economic impact of $189 million.

He said 30 million people visit the Pocono Mountains each year, including 4.5 million who travel to Carbon County, and that visitors spend about $616 million annually in the county — with 75% of that money coming from outside the region.

Barrett also noted the industry employs about 3,300 people in Carbon County and said tourism-related businesses have invested nearly $2 billion in the region, with Blue Mountain contributing significantly.

“Policies that single out these industries for additional taxation risk undermining one of the very sectors that fuels local economic activity in the first place,” Barrett wrote, warning the tax could reduce visitation and hurt surrounding restaurants, lodging and retailers.

The letter was also signed by Joe Massaro, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association.