in 1924 tax returns were public, and the taxes paid by the wealthiest individuals (Carnegie, Ford, et al) would be in the newspapers. In `26 the rich people won and made returns private again. Nice writeup in this link, including lots of pithy 1920s humor.
Americans' taxes used to be public — until the rich revolted
As Americans send off their tax returns by Monday's deadline, they don't have to worry about their neighbors knowing how much they earned or paid. But for a while in the 1920s, everybody's tax payments were public records for all to see.
stripes.com