| A business degree can improve your career, give you | | | | high-priced lawyers -- she represented herself out of |
| valuable financial knowledge and lead to a bigger | | | | cost concerns --, but rather the product of intelligence, |
| paycheck. The steep price, however, is a daunting | | | | organization and dedication. Despite the fact that a |
| prospect for many; Furthermore, how much of this high | | | | scant 10% of individuals who try cases against the IRS |
| cost can be defrayed by an MBA tax deduction is | | | | succeed, the courageous nurse prepared her case |
| difficult to determine from user-unfriendly IRS guidelines. | | | | undaunted -- and in doing so won a victory for those |
| Red tape didn't stop nurse Lori Singleton-Clark from | | | | everywhere that could benefit from an MBA tax |
| filing a nearly $15,000 MBA tax deduction. And it didn't | | | | deduction. |
| stop her from sticking to her convictions when the IRS | | | | Laws concerning MBA tax deductions are confusing |
| audited her, claiming that the money was deducted | | | | and onerous. Singleton-Clarke's victory, however, is a |
| improperly. Instead, she dug in her heels and disputed | | | | positive step towards clarifying the rule and allowing |
| the claims, prepared for the barrage of information | | | | more potential applicants to easily see if they qualify: |
| requests and the seemingly endless phone calls. In the | | | | While decisions in small cases can't be cited as |
| end, her perseverance paid off, and a judge ruled in | | | | precedent, Melissa Labant, a tax expert with the |
| her favor and decided that she didn't have to pay | | | | American Institute of CPAs, avows "This case |
| back the $14,787 in taxes. | | | | definitely provides a road map others can use, |
| Singleton-Clarke's impressive victory for an MBA tax | | | | especially M.B.A. students. |
| deduction wasn't the result of thousands of dollars in | | | | |