Calling this tech debt will get you nowhere. Instead you could just explain the alternatives: what happens if we do this, what happens if we don't? If we do <X>

Calling this tech debt will get you nowhere. Instead you could just explain the alternatives: what happens if we do this, what happens if we don't? If we do <X> productivity will increase by <Y> so that users will experience <Z>. Much clearer than simply saying "tech debt > refactor".