Rupert Grint has reportedly lost a legal battle that has left him with a significant tax bill.
According to a report from the Associated Press, the 36-year-old former Harry Potter star was required to pay in 2019 following an investigation by the U.K. tax authority His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs into his 2012 tax return. His bill totals 1.8 million pounds, approximately $2.3 million.
His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs alleged that Grint incorrectly designated 4.5 million pounds in residuals from the Harry Potter films as a capital asset rather than income. The money was received during the 2011-2012 period from a company solely owned by Grint, which oversees his business, as reported by BBC News.
In spite of efforts by Grint’s legal team to appeal during a hearing in 2022, the appeal was recently rejected by tax tribunal Judge Harriet Morgan, who determined that the funds “largely derived their value from the efforts of Mr. Grint” and are therefore classified as “taxable income,” per The Independent.
DECIDER reached out to Grint’s publicists for comment, but did not hear back by time of publication.
Several outlets such as The Associated Press and The Independent reported that Grint had lost another legal dispute in 2019 involving a 1 million-pound tax refund.
Grint starred in all eight of the franchise’s films as Ron Weasley. He most recently starred as Julian Pearce in Apple TV+’s Servant, which ended last March with its fourth and final season, as well as Redmond in Knock at the Cabin. He also reunited with Harry Potter co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, among others, in the franchise’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, which was released in January 2022.
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