We need a three-step program to tax reform:
1. All members of Congress, all Congressional staffers, and anybody on the White House payroll has to file their own federal income tax. Not use Turbo Tax, not hire a consultant or H&R block; sit at the kitchen table with a pencil, stacks of tax information papers, a blank 1040, and the same instructions the IRS mails out to normal people.
2 Either change tax day to the first Tuesday in November, or change election day to April 15.
3. Implement term limits.
As far as specifics regarding what the tax code should look like, well, the only fair tax is the tax that taxes you and not me. The rest is details.
Slight change to your plan to achieve #3:
Change tax day to the first MONDAY in November or change election day to April 14th. That way, taxes are on their mind when the voter goes into that booth. Do this and #3 won't be necessary.
Another thing that would work equally well is to quit doing withholding. Make everybody have to write the big check 4 times a year, like self employed folks do, instead of having taxes taken away in small bits. That would do more to raise awareness of how messed up our tax system is than anything else.....