In article , Tony Cooper
wrote:


Depreciating capital purchases or expensing costs is not a loophole[1]
at all.* It reflects the cost of doing business.* Costs reduce your
income tax accordingly.

I can agree with your terminology, and it appears we agree about the
impact of loopholes on our real tax rate. My point was that countries
with a flat tax rate or lack such loopholes aren't really comparable to
our situation.

A "loophole" is an unintended aspect that allows you to do something
that the writers of tax code did not intend for you to be able to do.
Loopholes are never written into a tax code. They often exist because
the language used in the tax code was ambiguous.

some loopholes are very much intended, often the result of lobbyists,
or because the people writing the tax code want them there so *they*
can benefit.