FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear (D) signed a Republican-backed income tax bill into law on Friday, breaking with his party and stressing that he signed the "one bill" on his desk aimed at helping Kentuckians deal with the rising cost of living.

Beshear signed House Bill 1 at the end of a brief video posted to social media. He stressed that while he'd rather see a temporary sales tax cut, cutting income tax will provide "at least a couple hundred dollars" of relief to Kentuckians at a crucial time.

"Inflation is real, and while gas prices have come down, your grocery bill is still way too high. While this issue is temporary, it’s still going to last for some time in the foreseeable future and our people need relief," Beshear said.

Lawmakers in the GOP-dominated state legislature sent the measure to Beshear's desk last Wednesday after it won passage in the Senate following an hourlong debate. The measure makes a deeper cut in Kentucky's individual income tax rate, lowering it from 4.5% to 4% effective Jan. 1, 2024.

For Republican lawmakers, it's another step toward achieving a long-running goal to completely phase out individual income taxes in Kentucky. 

Republicans said last week that the ongoing rate cuts will benefit working-class Kentuckians while promoting further economic gains and population growth. Democratic senators opposing the measure said many Kentuckians won't reap savings from the income tax rate cut. They noted that last year’s legislation also extended the state sales tax to more services, which they said creates a new tax burden.

“I hope that we’ll be honest with our constituents and quit calling it a tax cut and ... better explain this is a restructuring of our tax structure," said Democratic Sen. David Yates. "And that the majority of Kentuckians will be paying more money out of pocket at the end of the year.”

Beshear on Friday acknowledged that cutting the income tax could have potential “long-term repercussions” for funding state services. But he pointed to the state’s strong economy that has fueled record-setting revenue collections as justification for the follow-up tax cut.

The revenue gained from broadening the sales tax base will fall far short of making up for the revenue lost from the income tax cut.

Beshear vetoed last year's tax overhaul, objecting to extending the sales tax to many more services. As an alternative, the governor backed an unsuccessful effort to temporarily cut the state sales tax rate to take some of the sting out of rising inflation that fueled higher consumer prices.

The income tax cuts come at a time of massive budget surpluses, padded by a huge influx of pandemic-related federal aid.

Republicans said they're delivering what Kentucky voters want by passing income tax rate cuts.

“I have yet to have a constituent come up to me and say ‘you do such a better job of spending my money than I do,’” GOP Sen. Chris McDaniel said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.