I'm going to refuse a rent increase
Have you talked to anyone about whether you can do this?
I've had this discussion with my landlord before and I'm not willing to pay.
You should decide to either pay rent or move out of the place. You can't simply not pay rent.
Ok, I'll pay. I don't want to live here if I could get kicked out.
Good, you can end up in court or evicted if you just stop paying. So pay for now, but you should also look for a place with more reasonable rent and plan to move in the future.