StartIsGone is a application which allows you to remove the Start Button in Windows 8.1 and get the extra space on the taskbar.
It is freeware, portable application which does not require .NET Framework or installation.
It is just icon in your tray with few options in the context menu.Tick "Run at startup" and your start button will be removed every time your Desktop shows.
StartIsGone is available as a separate application for Windows 8.1 x86 and Windows 8.1 x64. The x86 version is not designed to work under Windows x64.