buy real estate/business/other investment using leverage, and take deductions on the entire value if the tax code allows for it (which it often does). You just

buy real estate/business/other investment using leverage, and take deductions on the entire value if the tax code allows for it (which it often does). You just need to make enough to pay down the loan (increasing your equity) and break even on cash flow, and you are doing great. It helps keep rents lower since otherwise all landlords would need to cash flow. But it drives up property prices and thus the break even point due to higher demand, so maybe they offset each other - but how could we know? The important take away here is that modern legislation dictates much of what our economy looks like. With other tax regulations we would invest completely differently, for better or for worse.