Rupert Grint, mostly known for his role as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter saga, but also as the patient in the pumped-up Netflix series Sick Note, has been at the heart of a bitter battle with the British tax authorities for over ten years now.
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The dispute concerned a tax return from 2011-2012, a year during which Harry and Hermione's friend allegedly sought to reduce his tax liability by classifying a substantial sum - around £4.5 million - as capital assets instead of ordinary income.
A tax battle after more than ten years
This distinction is not insignificant: capital assets benefit from a lower tax rate than traditional income. This choice would have enabled Rupert Grint to pay considerably less tax. However, it did not escape the scrupulous attention of the British tax collection department. According to the Associated Press, His Majesty's Revenue and Customs, the HMRC, initiated proceedings, denouncing what it considered an abusive tax arrangement, in 2019.
The 36-year-old actor is accused of wrongly classifying about £4.5 million. The financial loophole had been previously unsuccessfully used by The Beatles in the 1960s, according to People. After several years of proceedings and successive appeals, the courts finally made its decision—the judge found Rupert Grint guilty in early December 2024.
Rupert Grint fined £1.3 million to the HMRC
According to the Associated Press, Judge Harriet Morgan ruled in favour of the British tax authorities, ordering Rupert Grint to pay £1.8 million to regularize his tax situation. However, the judge also recognized the actor's argument that he had left his financial issues to his father, Nigel, and did not know the extent of the ordeal as he was too young.
The actor is said to have earned about £24 million thanks to his role in the franchise. This estimated net worth does not include the profits he has made thanks to events linked to the saga, as well as the sales of official merchandise and DVDs.
That being said, the fine is a colossal sum for the actor, whose career has slowed considerably since the end of the Harry Potter saga. Indeed, Rupert Grint has only starred in one major film in the last ten years, most recently in Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. Unfortunately for him, the series has not been renewed for another season. He also appeared in M. Night Shyamalan's Knock on the Cabin and Servant, as well as the French film Moonwalkers in 2015. For the time being, Rupert Grint has not commented publicly on this decision.
This article has been translated from Oh!MyMag FR.
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Sources used:
People: Rupert Grint Faces $2.3 Million Tax Bill Tied to Harry Potter Residuals
Associated Press: Magic can’t save ‘Harry Potter’ star Rupert Grint from a $2.3 million tax bill
