To understand why Cheryl Baker is struggling to pay her taxes

[HeatherMoores]

It’s in the papers that Cheryl Baker is selling her house because she can’t afford to pay her taxes because all her work dried up over the pandemic. She’s also been forced to “flog her car and clothes”. (This isn’t an anti Cheryl Baker thread I like her she always comes across as funny and a nice/ interesting person).

Surely if she had no work and wasn’t earning any money then she would not have an income that she had to pay tax on?

I don’t understand how this happens to people, unless it’s some other tax. I’ve assumed she means income tax. Surely if she wasn’t earning money she wouldn’t owe income tax? What am I missing?

If someone was used to not saving for taxes from earnings, but using current earnings to pay for last years tax demand, then any drop in income could become problematic.

She'll be self employed. Her life probably depends on classing lots of her outgoings- car, clothes, hair, makeup , you name it as expenses.

A sudden drop in income, she's still paying for all these things and overextended on her mortgage etc and the sums don't add up anymore.

Makes sense thanks.