I probably wouldn't write "increment the total", but I think it makes sense to comment on what the total is/represents, or why the total is incremented in some particular way (if it's non-obvious).
My beef with "increment the total" comments is not that they are there, but rather that they don't help me get the big picture.
My beef with "increment the total" comments is not that they are there, but rather that they don't help me get the big picture.