Harry Potter star Rupert Grint ordered to pay eye-watering tax bill

Harry Potter star Rupert Grint has been ordered to fork out a whopping amount of money for a tax bill dating back more than a decade.

Harry Potter star Rupert Grint has been ordered to pay a further £1.8 million in tax.

The actor has been locked in a bitter legal battle with the UK’s HM Revenue & Customs over his tax return from the 2011-12 tax year, reports The Sun.

Grint, known for playing Ron Weasley, previously lost his fight with HMRC in 2019.

He was ordered to pay the sum following an investigation into his tax return from the 2011-12 tax year.

It came after the star was given £4.5 million (A$8.8 million) from a company which managed his business affairs as “consideration for rights, records and goodwill” from his work.

He claimed this was a “capital asset” and should be the subject of capital gains tax.

But HMRC argued the money should have been registered as income.

And, their investigation concluded Grint needed to pay a further £1,801,060 (A$3,521,171) in tax.

The actor’s lawyers appealed against HMRC’s decision at a hearing in London in November and December 2022.

But in a ruling Tribunal Judge Harriet Morgan dismissed the appeal and found the sum “is taxable as income”.

Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe attend the World Premiere of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011 in London. Picture: Ian Gavan/Getty Images

Rupert starred in the first Harry Potter film in 2001 as a teen, and is calculated to have earned around £24 million (A$47 million) from playing Ron Weasley.

It comes after the Harry Potter star recently won a two-year battle with neighbours to turn a £5.4 million (A$10.5 million) Hertfordshire estate into his very own Hogsmeade.

The actor sparked uproar over plans for an ecovillage of 15 homes at his historic 18th Century former vicarage.

He wants to convert the main house into six luxury apartments and demolish a huge 100 x 47ft barn and greenhouse to make way for five detached houses.

More than a dozen locals objected to the proposed scheme, saying it was inappropriate development on green belt land and in a conservation area.

Grint made a reported $47 million from the franchise.

They also cited loss of trees, an increase in traffic and fears for wildlife including badgers, bats, birds, squirrels and muntjac deer.

Rupert, 36, was also accused of offering a “cynical” sweetener by offering neighbours and the local parish council free land for bigger gardens and a public open space.

But planners at the local council have now finally given the development the green light after the actor also vowed to build four affordable homes.

They said: “The development would result in harm to the visual openness of the green belt by reason of the introduction of development to parts of the site which currently has none.

“The harm identified is however considered to be limited and therefore compliant, given the contribution to affordable housing proposes as part of the development.

“The provision of four affordable housing units as part of the scheme is attached significant weight.”

He will have to pay almost £100,000 (A$195,505) towards local schools, library and youth services including an annual £10,000 (A$19,550) for maintenance of the gifted land.

This article originally appeared in The Sun and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Harry Potter star Rupert Grint ordered to pay eye-watering tax bill