Does the the idea of "spreading the wealth" amount to a form of theft or extortion?

To me the idea of spreading the wealth makes sense only if we the tax payer have a say in who gets that wealth and under which conditions it is given out. Without which it is theft and I can imagine the wealthy are a little miffed at the idea the government will just take their money and give it to whomever they feel like. It's like if the government took the money you worked for and gave it to someone else because they decided that person needs it more than you do.