The FTPL is based on the assumption that equation (2) holds only at an equilibrium.
The critics of the FTPL view instead (2) as a constraint that forces the government to
match the real value of debt with an appropriate present value of primary surpluses, for
all conceivable levels of prices. To better understand the issue, it is useful to note that (2)looks identical to the intertemporal budget constraint of any household in the economy: it is sufficient to relabel Bt as the nominal liabilities of the household, and the right-hand side as the present value of its non-asset income, net of consumption. In the case of a household,