To be free means not to be under the control or power of another. If you were free, YOU would make your own decisions about how to spend your earnings.
Slaves work for their masters.
Free people work for themselves. Someone else decides what to do with half our earnings. We spend half of our time working as slaves for our masters. The average American works 20 years of his life just to pay for government. The more money government agents take, the more power they have over your life and the less freedom you have.