What was claimed
From 5 December the government is introducing a £500 “Christmas Decoration Tax”.
Our verdict
False. No such policy is being introduced.
No, the government isn’t introducing a £500 ‘Christmas Decoration Tax’
Videos shared hundreds of times on social media falsely claim that the government is introducing a £500 “Christmas Decoration Tax” from 5 December.
There is, of course, no such policy. While it may seem obvious to many people that this is fake, it may not be to everyone, particularly more infrequent internet users. The volume of shares and likes on these videos suggest a significant number believe they are true, and many comments seem to suggest that too, with one person saying “what about the Christmas tree outside number ten” while another comments “I don’t have mine up”. We’ve written more about why we fact check claims like this on our blog.
Some versions of the video begin with a clip of the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and a voice resembling his saying: “Major update starting 5 December, the UK government is planning to hit every household with a shocking £500 Christmas Decoration Tax this year. That’s right, for putting up lights, trees, wreaths or even simple ornaments.”
However, the clip of Mr Starmer appears to have been taken from a statement he made on the Chagos Island deal in May 2025, where he made no mention of any “Christmas Decoration Tax”.
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The voice doesn’t match the lip movements in the clip and doesn’t consistently match the natural cadence or intonations of Mr Starmer’s actual voice. It was probably created using AI. One potential giveaway is the use of the phrases “hash no Christmas Tax” and “hash government greed” when describing anger in response to the supposed new policy on social media, suggesting a text-to-speech tool was used to create the voice (although it’s not impossible it has been created another way, for example by an impersonator).
We could find no evidence the government has announced a £500 “Christmas Decoration Tax”.
This is the latest example in a series of alarmist videos we’ve seen being shared online that make false and misleading claims about supposed new government policies that affect people’s personal freedoms.
Before sharing videos like these on social media, first consider whether they come from a trustworthy and verifiable source. Our Full Fact toolkit can help you do this.