Soap opera memes and a video of a “talking” donkey: how the government and its allies justify higher taxes

Soap opera and kitten memes, videos created with artificial intelligence about bar conversations and donkeys "talking": the creativity of the federal government and its allies in trying to convince the population about the need for a new tax increase - under the justification of "tax justice" - is immense.

Using soap operas, memes, videos generated by artificial intelligence, and the exploration of popular language, the goal is to popularize the agenda of taxing specific sectors of the economy and convince public opinion of the urgency of new sources of revenue.

The campaign, which has already received an investment of at least R$173,000 from the Workers' Party (PT) just in promotion, has been dubbed "Taxação BBB," an acronym for "Billionaires, Banks, and Bets." The central message is straightforward: these segments, who "earn a lot of money and pay little or no tax," will start contributing more to ease the burden on the poorest and ensure funding for social programs.

Left-wing leaders believe that the online clash over tax increases could reignite popular support and pressure Congress to approve the measures. For President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers' Party) and his communications team, deepening the polarization between "rich and poor" is seen as an effective formula for political confrontation ahead of the 2026 elections.

"Tax justice" narrative coincides with problems in government accounts

However, the "tax justice" narrative coincides with the worrying reality of public finances. The backdrop for this communication offensive is a scenario of persistent fiscal imbalance. In the 29 months of Lula's administration through May, there were deficits in 23 of them, according to Central Bank data.

As a result, public debt jumped from 71.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in December 2022 to 76.1% in May of this year. Given this situation, the economic team's only visible strategy to combat the problem is the relentless pursuit of higher revenue.

This occurs even though the tax burden is already at a record level of 34.2% of GDP in 2024, the highest value in the historical series that began in 1990, according to the Fiscal Policy Observatory of the Brazilian Institute of Economics of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV Ibre).

Popular culture is used to highlight the need for tax increases

To convey the message to a wider audience, the strategy appropriates elements of popular culture. One tactic was to use the TV Globo soap opera "Vale Tudo ," which premiered in late March, to illustrate alleged tax injustices, comparing the income tax rate paid by a millionaire businesswoman with that of a female entrepreneur.

One of the examples cited compares the income tax rate applied to the character Odete Roitman, a businesswoman played by Debora Bloch, with that attributed to microentrepreneur Raquel Acioli, played by Taís Araujo.

Publications by state deputy Guilherme Cortez (PSOL), shared by federal deputy Jandira Feghali (PCdoB-RJ) , state that Acioli would pay 7.5% income tax, while Roitman would be taxed at 2%.

Other comparisons based on the soap opera indicate that creative director Solange, played by Alice Wegmann, would collect 27.5%, while Afonso Almeida Roitman, played by Humberto Carrão, would pay 5.4% of income tax.

Santa Catarina congressman Pedro Uczai (PT) used the remake of the soap opera to reinforce the “us vs. them” campaign, asking whoever accesses his post: "Which side are you on: we are 99% of the people against 1% of the rich.”

Artificial intelligence helps create videos that emphasize "us vs. them"

Videos created with artificial intelligence have also been used on social media. In one, a donkey mocks critics of taxing the wealthy, saying: "Taxes are necessary. Injustice, no. Blah blah blah, whining. Oh dear. I think it's wonderful that billionaires earn millions and pay less tax when the people are screwed."

Another piece of content depicts a bar conversation where a person questions why an ordinary citizen pays more taxes than those who consume lobster, champagne, and caviar.

Recently, the government even used "kitten memes" to defend the increase in the Financial Transactions Tax (IOF) in the Federal Supreme Court (STF). A public hearing is scheduled for this Tuesday (15) and will involve governments, parliamentarians, and judges.

The memes emphasize that the measure would supposedly affect high-income individuals, with mansions, luxury cars, and private pension investments exceeding R$600,000 annually. The goal is to raise R$20 billion annually for programs like Farmácia Popular and the Unified Health System (SUS). However, the economic team itself is already working with lower-than-expected revenue scenarios, which adds a layer of uncertainty about the measure's effectiveness.

Opposition criticizes "us against them" strategy

Last week, Federal Representative Any Ortiz (Cidadania-RS) criticized the argument that the IOF increase would only affect " those at the top ": "It's not true that the IOF will only affect the upper class. It impacts everyone, especially those who use overdrafts or pay in installments on their credit cards. This doesn't just affect those at the top," the congresswoman said.

"This is an old PT rhetoric. They're bringing up this narrative of rich versus poor, black versus white, to try to stay in power. And it's curious, because the government's slogan is 'Unity and Reconstruction.' They took that slogan and threw it in the trash."

For Domingos Sávio (PL-MG), however, the narrative is shaky. "If you increase the IOF (Tax on Financial Operations), it obviously also has a direct impact on investments and financial transactions, and it affects borrowers and the entire population. Everyone knows this," he stated.