Tax evasions are illegal which is probably why he was put to jail, he purposely evaded paying taxes. The government doesn't force you to pay taxes meaning they won't threaten to kill you for not paying taxes. You use government property everyday such as roads and if you don't pay then your gonna receive a punishment in some form whether it is through money or time in jail. Moral of the story, the government does not own you, they can't put a price tag on you.
You don't pay your taxes and I have seen -
Professional licenses revoked (teaching, nursing, real estate etc)
Drivers license suspended
Wages garnished
Loss of careers
Inability to get employed in some positions
Houses taken
Etc
Maybe you don't look at not paying taxes as a big deal. But I would find my teaching license suspended and I'd be unemployed, and they most certainly would garnish the wages of my next job and take my house if they chose to.
Perhaps they don't own you in the sense that I own my car but they sure can exercise control over every aspect of your life if you put a target on yourself. You'll learn that when you get older.