Problem assign data from a file read to variables

This is a PowerShell question, sorry if it wound up in the wrong place.

I have a data file which I will call PS_Upgrade_Data. It has 6 items in it listed like this:

item1=item-2=item.3=item 4=item5=item6

Please note that items 2 through 4 are written that way due to the data coming in over which I have no control. There is a dash in item2, a period in intem3 and a space in item4 just to be clear. Items 1, 5, and 6 have nothing between the word item and the number.

I am using the follow PS line to read the data in from the file:

Get-Content "P:\PS_Upgrade_Data.txt" | Where-Object {$_.length -gt 0} | Where-Object {!$_.StartsWith("#")} | Foreach-Object -begin {$count1=0} -process {$var = $_.Split('=',6).Trim()}

This does read the data from the file in ok.

I want to take that data and drop it into six (6) different variables and I tried a foreach loop like the one below:

		$count1 = 0
	ForEach ($item in $var) {
		Write-Host "`n"
		Write-Host "count = " , $count1
		if($count1 = 0) {
			Write-Host "UserInit"
			$UserInit = $item
		}
		elseif ($count1 = 1) {
			Write-Host "UserInit"
			$TicketNumber = $item
		}
		elseif ($count1 = 2) {
			Write-Host "UserInit"
			$UpgradeVersion = $item
		}
		elseif ($count1 = 3) {
			Write-Host "UserInit"
			$ClientName = $item
		}
		elseif ($count1 = 4) {
			Write-Host "UserInit"
			$InstName = $item
		}
		elseif ($count1 = 5) {
			Write-Host "UserInit"
			$Coffee = $item
		}
		$count1 +=1
		}

The problem is that the counter is jumping from 0 (zero) to two (2) and then wont increase and I have no idea why.

What stupid thing am I doing or missing?

Thanks for any help.

PowerShell's assignment operator = supports multiple assignment targets per operation, so you can skip the counter and foreach loop and instead, simply do:

Get-Content "P:\PS_Upgrade_Data.txt" | Where-Object {$_.length -gt 0} | Where-Object {!$_.StartsWith("#")} | Foreach-Object {
  $UserInit,$TicketNumber,$UpgradeVersion,$ClientName,$InstName,$Coffee = $_.Split('=',6).Trim()

  # do with your variables what you want here
}