'Harry Potter' star Rupert Grint hit with $2.3 million tax bill after losing legal battle
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- Rupert Grint has been ordered to pay £1.8 million (around $2.3 million) in taxes by the UK government.
- It stems from a tax dispute in the 2011 to 2012 tax year.
- An appeal brought forward by the "Harry Potter" star's lawyers was dismissed by a tribunal judge.
"Harry Potter" star Rupert Grint has been hit with a £1.8 million (around $2.3 million) tax bill after losing a legal battle related to his earnings in the 2011 to 2012 tax year, according to multiple British outlets.
Grint, 36, reportedly received £4.5 million (around $5.7 million as of today) from a company that managed his business affairs in the 2011 to 2012 tax year as "consideration for rights, records and goodwill" from his work.
The actor is said to have claimed this a "capital asset," meaning it was subject to a lower tax rate than it would have been if it had been classed as income — which His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, a department of the UK Government responsible for the collection of taxes, said it should have been.
Following an investigation, Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the eight-film "Harry Potter" franchise, was told in 2019 that he needed to pay an extra £1.8 million in taxes.
He later appealed the decision, but that appeal has now been dismissed by a tribunal judge, who said the fee "derived substantially the whole of its value from the activities of Mr Grint," which was "otherwise realised" as income, according to the reports.
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Grint previously lost another, separate legal case in 2016 that resulted in him being denied a £1 million (about $1.3 million as of today) tax refund following an appeal.
During a hearing at the time, the actor reportedly said that his knowledge of his financial affairs was "quite limited," saying he deferred to his father and his accountant on tax returns.
Grint, who was 12 years old when he appeared in "Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone" in 2001, is thought to have earned around £24 million (around $30 million) from the eight-film franchise.
When asked about his net worth in 2018, he told The Radio Times, "I actually don't know how much I have. I couldn't even really guess."