A Maryland nurse accomplished two rare feats in her battle with the Internal Revenue Service: She defended herself against the agency's lawyers and won, and she got a ruling that could help tens of thousands of students deduct the cost of an M.B.A. degree on their taxes. The U.S. Tax Court handed Lori Singleton-Clarke her victory last month, saying the 47-year-old Bryantown, Md., woman had properly deducted nearly $15,000 in business school tuition. The Tax Court ruling should make it easier for many other professionals to deduct the expense of a Master in Business Administration degree. More Court Decision Raises Hope for Other Students Melissa Golden for The Wall Street Journal Lori Singleton-Clarke, in her battle against the IRS, was lauded for her meticulous record-keeping. After getting word of the court decision, "I nearly yelled the roof off the house," Ms. Singleton-Clarke says. "I still can hardly believe it." The IRS's rules on deducting work-related tuition are complicated and onerous, ultimately preventing most students from deducting their tuition.[Read more...]