They are still able to actually make a profit (and quite often will, because careful balancing of perfect profit and loss is almost impossible and loss is bad), and I thought those profits were still taxed because otherwise that's too obvious as a tax dodge, it's just that profit isn't their main goal?
There is a difference between positive cash flow and profit as profit has differences in accounting rules. If you invest in some asset (let's say a taxi car) today, all of that cash flow will happen today. But there will be no effect on the profit today, as your wealth is considered to have just changed form, from cash into an asset. For the purposes of profit/loss, the cost instead happens over the years as that asset depreciates. This is so that the depreciation of the asset can be compared to the income it is generating (wear and tear on car vs ride fare - gas).