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The state is facing a budget crisis, with economists estimating next year’s deficit as high as six billion dollars. The new state spending plan for 2010-2011 took effect today. Recommendation from Florida TaxWatch helped lawmakers find two billion dollars to balance the new budget. But the tax watchdog isn’t taking a break from crunching the numbers and looking for loose change. TaxWatch President Dominic Calabro called state and business leaders to Tallahassee to begin working on next years spending plan at the 2011 – 2012 Government Cost Savings Task Force in Tallahassee.

“We want to protect those core functions, those critical services, and help needy Floridians, but cut overhead cut administration, cut inefficiency,” said Calabro.

AT&T Florida President and Florida TaxWatch Board Chairman Marshall Criser says big savings start with small items.

“It starts with pens and paperclips it builds its way up into programs and hopefully it makes it way into entire programs and the way they are operated. So I think there is nothing you can afford not to look at,” said Criser.

The taskforce will meet several more times and present its recommendations to legislative leaders during the 2011 legislative session.