[kazinator]

> debugging is more complicated

Only if macros are second-class relative to built-in primitives in terms of debug support.

E.g. typical C compiler and debugger not knowing anything about C macros; if we make a loop construct entirely in a C LOOP(...) macro (spanning many lines of the source file), any error within the statements and expressions enclosed in LOOP will be reported against LOOP's line number. Moreover, we will not be able to step through those individual expressions in the debugger.