Former Harry Potter star Rupert Grint has been ordered to pay £1.8m in levy after losing a legal battle with HM turnover & Customs.

Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the films, was originally told to pay the sum in 2019 after an HMRC investigation disputed one of his levy returns.

Lawyers for the 36-year-ancient appealled, arguing that money he received from a corporation had been correctly taxed as a financing property, but HMRC said it should have been taxed as profits at a higher rate.

However, Grint’s argument has been dismissed by a levy tribunal judge.

During the 2011-2012 levy year, Grint received £4.5m from a corporation that managed his business, and of which he was the only shareholder.

This remittance was described as being for “likely residual profits and bonuses” resulting from the Harry Potter films.

He argued he could pay financing gains levy on it at a rate of 10% rather than profits levy and national insurance at a top rate of 52%.

In the ruling, tribunal judge Harriet Morgan dismissed Grint’s appeal and said the money “derived substantially the whole of its worth from the activities of Mr Grint”, which was “otherwise realised” as profits.

He previously lost another, divide court case in 2019 that involved a £1m levy refund.

Grint appeared in all eight Harry Potter films from 2001 until 2011.

Since then, he has appeared in the films Into the White and Knock at the Cabin, and also appeared on TV and in theatre.

He has starred in Apple TV series Servant for the last four years.