If debt SURPASSES gdp that means you need to be able to compare them, regardless of what else the phrase goes on to say about interest. The way I would explain

If debt SURPASSES gdp that means you need to be able to compare them, regardless of what else the phrase goes on to say about interest. The way I would explain it to webdevs on this website is: the >= has been defined for these two types. If instead they had written "debt interest will equal three-quarters of etc.." then you'd be 100% correct. As it is, the above poster is correct that a) debt and gdp have different units, b) the word surpass implies a comparison. All I'm adding is that there's an implied conversion: it's obvious that they mean the gdp of a year.