Rupert Grint: Harry Potter star to pay £1.8m after losing tax battle

Rupert Grint, the actor known for his role in Harry Potter, has been instructed to pay £1.8 million in taxes following a legal dispute with HM Revenue & Customs that he did not win.

Grint, known for his role as Ron Weasley in the movies, was initially ordered to settle the amount in 2019 following a tax investigation by HMRC that challenged one of his tax filings.

The legal team representing the 36-year-old argued that the funds he received from a company were appropriately taxed as a capital asset. However, HMRC contended that this money should have been taxed as income at a higher rate.

Nevertheless, a judge from the tax tribunal has rejected Grint's argument.

In the 2011-2012 tax year, Grint received £4.5 million from a company that he owned and operated, where he was the sole shareholder.

This payment was referred to as potential leftover earnings and bonuses from the Harry Potter movies.

He claimed that he could be taxed on capital gains at a rate of 10%, instead of facing income tax and national insurance charges at the highest rate of 52%.

In the decision, Judge Harriet Morgan of the tribunal rejected Grint's appeal, stating that the majority of the money's value came from Mr. Grint's actions, which was essentially converted into income.

In 2019, he faced a different court case where he lost a claim for a £1 million tax refund.

Grint starred in all eight of the Harry Potter movies released between 2001 and 2011.

Since then, he has starred in the movies Into the White and Knock at the Cabin, and he has also made appearances on television and in theater productions.

He has been a featured actor in the Apple TV series Servant for the past four years.