Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint ordered to pay £1.8 million in back taxes after losing legal dispute

In 2011-12 tax year, Rupert Grint received an income of £4.5 million. In 2019, HMRC had said that he should have been taxed as regular income.

Actor Rupert Grint, known for playing Ron Weasley in Harry Potter, was ordered to pay £1.8 million in taxes after a legal dispute. As per The Guardian, the dispute took place with UK's taxation authority, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in 2019, when he was told to pay the amount after the authority questioned one of his tax returns. (Also Read | Harry Potter's Padma and Ron reunite! Rupert Grint and Afshan Azad meet 20 years after their infamous Yule ball date)

This isn't the first time Rupert Grint's tax matters have seen court proceedings.

Rupert court case

In the 2011-12 tax year, Rupert received an income of £4.5 million. In 2019, HMRC said it should have been taxed as regular income rather than a capital asset. Rupert said the payment was residual income and bonuses from the Harry Potter films. He was then the only shareholder of the company, managing his business matters.

Rupert's lawyers claimed that he should have to pay only capital gains tax, which would have been 10 per cent. HMRC said the money should be taxed as income, with a tax rate of 52 per cent. The judge dismissed Rupert’s appeal saying the money “derived substantially the whole of its value from the activities of Mr Grint”, which was “otherwise realised” as income.

Rupert's previous case

This isn't the first time Rupert's tax matters have been subject to court proceedings. In 2016, he lost another court case involving a tax refund of £1 million. The judge rejected his appeal against an HMRC block then. He had used a change in accounting dates to shield his earnings from the higher 50 percent tax rate. The actor reportedly earned about £24 million from the Potter franchise.

About Rupert's career

Rupert rose to fame with the Harry Potter film series. He was part of all eight films, starting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and concluding with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011).

He has also starred in Driving Lessons (2006), Cherrybomb (2009), Wild Target (2010), Into the White (2012), Charlie Countryman (2013), Moonwalkers (2015), and Knock at the Cabin (2023).