The 2026 Budget was pitched as a fix for intergenerational unfairness. Nick's fired up and reckons none of it adds up, especially if you're a young Australian trying to get ahead. But you can't just criticise without bringing a solution, and he's got a few of his own.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(01:17) The 2026 Budget's Reform Pitch and Where It Misses Young Australians
(02:29) Bracket Creep and the 47% Tax Rate That Hits Young High Earners
(05:35) The $1,000 ATO Deduction Is Less Than Most Australians Already Claim
(06:29) The HELP Debt Indexation Problem That Costs Australians Thousands Every Year
(08:55) Removing Negative Gearing on Existing Homes Won't Free Up Housing Supply
(11:24) Rents Are Set to Rise as Negative Gearing Shifts to New Builds Only
(11:55) CGT Changes Hit Startup Founders Hardest, Not Property Investors
(14:00) The Property Marketers Set to Profit From the Negative Gearing Reforms
(16:47) Cutting Income Tax and Lifting GST, the Real Reform Trade-Off
(18:31) Top 10 Postcodes by Taxable Income from Portsea to Mossman
(21:25) Australia's GST Has Been Stuck at 10% Since 2000
(25:30) One Nation's Rise and What It Says About Voter Frustration

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Australians waste $1.9 billion a year on gift cards they never use, and there's a whole business model built around hoping you don't show up. If your business sells gift cards, there's a good chance the accounting is wrong. It's one of the most common mistakes Jase sees with his clients, and this episode gets into how the accounting should actually work so you're not paying tax before you need to.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(00:24) How Endota Spa's Gift Card Numbers Went Viral
(03:43) $1.9 Billion in Unused Gift Cards Per Year in Australia
(05:23) How Gift Cards Became 40% of Endota Spa's Revenue
(05:59) How Endota Earns $13.5M From Gift Cards No One Uses
(07:07) Why Gift Card Sales Aren't Revenue on Your Books
(08:52) The 3-Year ACCC Expiry and When to Recognise Revenue
(10:50) What the Endota Sale Means for the Incoming Buyer
(12:46) Swap Platforms That Turn Unused Gift Cards Into Cash
(14:58) Gifta and How to Make Sure Gift Cards Actually Get Used
(19:27) Why Gift Cards in Your Digital Wallet Actually Get Used
(21:23) Employee Gift Cards and Fringe Benefits Tax
(23:01) Game Over

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Over 9,000 Australian jobs have gone to AI this year and we're now second in the world for tech displacement. Nick reckons you don't need to be a tech expert to stay relevant. Your existing skills transfer to roles AI can't replace, you just need to know which ones and where. He's put together a 6-step playbook that walks you through assessing your own exposure, identifying what transfers, and making a move before your employer makes one for you.

On this episode, we discuss:

(00:00) Intro
(00:19) AI Is Here and Jobs Are Changing in Australia
(05:18) WiseTech, Telstra, Atlassian and 9,238 AI Job Losses
(06:16) 1.3 Million Australians Changing Roles by 2030
(07:48) Why a Telemarketer Could Become an Account Manager
(11:02) Which Jobs AI Can and Can't Do: 0.3% to 80%
(13:06) How an Accounting Firm Is Rolling Out AI to Its Team
(15:24) $10 Million Revenue with 30 Staff Instead of 50
(16:26) Why AI-Forward Companies Create More Opportunity
(18:48) Capacity Is Why Clients Leave Their Accountant
(21:01) Nick's 6-Step Playbook for Protecting Your Career
(24:18) Don't Wait for Your Employer to Act
(25:28) The Flywheel Effect When Teams Share AI Wins

Check out the free resources from Inovayt here.

Send us an email: hello@thenumbersgamepodcast.com.au

The Numbers Game is brought to you by Future Advisory & Inovayt.

Hosts:
Nick Reilly
Jason Robinson

This podcast is produced by VIDPOD.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.