As a Kentucky state senator, Ralph Alvarado voted in 2022 to extend the state sales tax to 35 more kinds of services, from parking to personal fitness training, starting in 2023. In 2018 he had voted for the first round, which taxed services such as auto repair and dry cleaning.
As a candidate for Congress in 2026, Alvarado backed the President's tariffs, which Yale researchers put at about $1,100 a year for the average household.
Ralph Alvarado's Votes on Sales Taxes and His Statement on Tariffs
- Alvarado Voted to Charge Kentucky Sales Tax on 35 More Everyday Services. On March 29, 2022, state Senator Ralph Alvarado voted for House Bill 8, which passed the Kentucky Senate 27 to 8, and on April 13, 2022 he voted to override Governor Andy Beshear's veto, 28 to 8. Starting January 1, 2023, the law made 35 more categories of services subject to the state sales tax. From that date Kentuckians paid sales tax on services such as parking, personal fitness training, massage, recreational camp tuition, household moving, and labor to repair clothing, shoes and watches. In Lexington, the tax reached downtown parking, as WKYT reported when the change took effect.
- Alvarado Voted in 2018 to Tax Car Repairs, Dry Cleaning and Landscaping. Ralph Alvarado was one of the 20 senators who passed House Bill 366 on April 2, 2018, 20 to 18, and one of the 20 who overrode Governor Matt Bevin's veto on April 13, 2018. The law extended Kentucky's sales tax to more than a dozen services, among them auto repair, dry cleaning and landscaping, while cutting income tax rates. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that the lowest-income fifth of Kentuckians would pay a little more than $90 a year more on average under the law, while the richest 1 percent would save an average of $7,086.
- Alvarado Backed the President's Tariffs, Which Raise Prices on Imported Goods. At a Republican primary debate reported on February 27, 2026, Ralph Alvarado said the President was using tariffs "as a means of getting a transaction done" and that "from that angle, it can be [effective]." The Yale Budget Lab estimated on August 24, 2026 that tariffs under current law will raise consumer prices by about 0.7% and cost the average household about $1,100 a year.
What Ralph Alvarado's Record Adds to Kentucky Household Bills
- Kentucky families began paying sales tax on services that had been untaxed. Under the 2018 and 2022 laws Alvarado voted for, a Lexington family that parks downtown, sends a child to a recreational camp, hires movers or gets a car repaired pays Kentucky sales tax on each of those services.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ralph Alvarado on Cost of living
What is Ralph Alvarado's record on the cost of living under Trump?
Ralph Alvarado voted as a Kentucky state senator in 2018 and 2022 to extend the sales tax to dozens of services, from car repairs to parking, and to override two governors' vetoes of those laws. Running for Congress in 2026, he backed the President's tariffs, which the Yale Budget Lab projects will raise about $1.9 trillion in tariff revenue over ten years under current law.
Did Ralph Alvarado vote to tax services like parking and gym training in Kentucky?
Yes. Ralph Alvarado voted for House Bill 8 in March 2022 and to override the veto in April 2022. The law added parking, personal fitness training and 33 other categories of services to Kentucky's sales tax base on January 1, 2023. The fiscal note projected the new service taxes would bring in $149.7 million in the 2023-24 budget year.
What has Ralph Alvarado said about Trump's tariffs?
Ralph Alvarado said at a February 2026 debate that the President's tariffs can be effective as a negotiating tool, and added, "But we're seeing success." Spectrum News 1 reported that both Republican candidates at the debate backed the President's approach on tariffs.
Last updated: 2026-10-26