3 Maintenance vs. Improvement

portuguese acoustic rock, calypso afroswing · 3:34

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Lyrics

[Verse 1]
In the corporate world there's a line so clear
Between what you fix and what you upgrade here
Maintenance keeps the machine running true
Capital improvements make it better than new

Oil and repairs just preserve what you've got
New equipment expansion hits a different spot
One gets expensed right off the books today
The other's capitalized in the balance way

[Chorus]
Maintenance versus improvement
That's the key distinction movement
Preserve or enhance the capacity
Corporate law speaks with clarity
But when it comes to human needs
The doctrine barely plants the seeds
Food and shelter maintenance expense
Not enrichment in any sense

[Verse 2]
A factory roof repair keeps production steady
New assembly line makes output more ready
The first maintains baseline operational flow
The second makes productive capacity grow

This principle's established solid as stone
For buildings, equipment, assets companies own
But human productive capacity waits
For courts to open up these doctrinal gates

[Chorus]
Maintenance versus improvement
That's the key distinction movement
Preserve or enhance the capacity
Corporate law speaks with clarity
But when it comes to human needs
The doctrine barely plants the seeds
Food and shelter maintenance expense
Not enrichment in any sense

[Bridge]
Healthcare keeps your body running right
Education might expand your mental sight
Basic needs maintain your working state
Luxury upgrades might appreciate

The materials exist within the law
To build this argument without a flaw
If enrichment means improvement over base
Then maintenance shouldn't win the case

[Verse 3]
No court has fully embraced this view
Though economic logic says it's true
Human capital follows the same rule
As any other productive business tool

The foundation's there for someone brave
To argue what the doctrine ought to say
Maintenance of humans isn't gain
It's just preserving what should remain

[Final Chorus]
Maintenance versus improvement
That's the key distinction movement
Preserve or enhance the capacity
Corporate law speaks with clarity
Human needs for food and care
Maintain the baseline that is there
Not enrichment, just expense
The argument makes perfect sense

[Outro]
Three maintenance versus improvement
The underdeveloped movement
In Canadian tax philosophy
Waiting for its victory

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