Hi,
"New York residents get a break on the fee."
What does 'a break' mean in this case?
Is it a discount or something?
It's an idiomatic way of saying they get some unexpected luck about the fee.
eg The city might say, perhaps, something like -
- all fees are now reduced or eliminated on weekends
- we have lost all our records so, if you have not paid your fee, you don't have to
In this context, we often say 'a lucky break'. The word often has the idea of unexpected, lucky and temporary.
Best wishes, Clive