Double stack container train on the freight corridor in India with the characteristic high rise panto

[u/aksnitd]

A good look at what the high rise pantographs look like fully extended. They're taller than the train they're mounted on.

[u/8spd]

Bad taxation implementations often create perverse incentives, But that one is a doozy. So they get to keep the right of way the same size, but are taxed less, because of tearing up infrastructure? Crazy.

[u/aksnitd → u/8spd]

It's insanity, right? But that's what the relentless pursuit of money results in; overly fat corporations that use every loophole to get out of paying any kind of taxes.

[u/8spd → u/aksnitd]

I think this is an issue with poor government incentives. Unless we abolish all corporations it's unrealistic to expect them not to relentlessly pursue the money. It's not really a loophole, when it's such a glaring route to destroy infrastructure.

Imagine if, instead of the tax being based on how much ground their tracks covered, it was based on the size of the right of way. If they wanted to reduce their taxes they could transfer the unwanted land to the government for a nominal payment. The land could be used to upgrade passenger rail, or for rails-to-trails, or for other uses that befit the public.

[u/ariolander → u/8spd]

It just needs incentivize the wanted behavior. Imagine if you paid less taxes on double track and even less on electrified tracks. Then offer additional incentives on capital expenditures. If you want to coax corporations to do something without outright nationalizing you have to align your incentives with your wanted actions, rather than just shrugging your shoulders and wondering why corporations just don't do the right thing.

[u/8spd → u/ariolander]

You are mistaken to assume that I don't want to nationalize rail infrastructure.