LONDON, Nov 30 — British actor Rupert Grint who famously played Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter films has been ordered to pay £1.8 million in taxes after losing a legal battle with the UK tax agency.
Grint, 36, was initially told in 2019 that he owed the sum following a dispute over his tax return, BBC reported.
His lawyers appealed the decision, arguing that the money he received from a company should be taxed as capital gains rather than as income.
But His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) – as the non-ministerial UK tax collection office is properly called – insisted the payment should have been taxed as income at a higher rate, and a tax tribunal judge dismissed Grint’s appeal.
In the 2011-2012 tax year, Grint received £4.5 million from a company that managed his business, of which he was the sole shareholder.
The money was described as “likely residual income and bonuses” from his work on the Harry Potter films, but Grint sought to pay capital gains tax instead of income tax.
Tribunal judge Harriet Morgan ruled that the money “substantially derived its value” from Grint’s work and should be taxed as income, not capital gains.
This follows a separate 2019 case where Grint lost a £1 million tax refund dispute with HMRC.
